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The  institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best  original 
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the  images  in  the  reproduction,  or  which  may 
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Q 


Coloured  covers  / 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I   Covers  damaged  / 


Couverture  endommagee 


□   Covers  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Couverture  lestauree  et/ou  pelliculee 

[      1   Cover  title  missing  /  Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

I I   Coloured  maps  /  Canes  g§ographiques  en  couleur 

□   Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)  / 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

□   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations  / 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material  / 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Only  edition  available  / 
Seule  edition  disponible 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion  along 
in*  rior  maigin  /  La  reliure  serr6e  peut  causer  de 
I'ombre  ou  de  la  distorsion  le  long  de  la  marge 
int^rieure. 

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blanches  ajout6es  lors  d'une  restauration 
apparaissent  dans  le  texte,  mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait 
possible,  ces  pages  n'ont  pas  et6  film6es. 


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Additional  comments  / 
Commentaires  suppl6mentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  mei'leur  exemplaire  qu'il  lui  a 
et6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details  de  cet  exem- 
plaire qui  sont  peut-etre  uniques  du  point  de  vue  bibli- 
ographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier  une  image  reproduite, 
ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une  modification  dans  la  metho- 
de  normale  de  filmage  sont  indiques  ci-dessous. 

I         Coloured  pages  /  Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged  /  Pages  endommagees 


D 


n 


D 


Various  payings. 


Pages  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Pages  restaurees  et/ou  pelliculees 


Q   Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed  / 
Pages  d^colorees,  tachetees  ou  piquees 

I      I   Pages  detached  /  Pages  detach§es 

I   /j   Showthrough  /  Transparence 

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Includes  supplementary  material  / 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppl6mentaire 

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possible  image  /  Les  pages  totalement  ou 
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obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 

Opposing  pages  with  varying  colouration  or 
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possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below  / 

Ce  document  est  Kmi  au  taux  de  reduction  Indiqui  ci-dessous. 


'-■--I* 


10x 


14x 


18x 


12x 


16x 


20x 


22x 


26x 


30x 


24x 


28x 


32x 


Tha  copy  filmed  h«r«  Km  b««n  .•produced  thanks 
to  tha  ganaroaity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


L'axamplaira  filmi  fut  raproduit  grica  i  la 
gintrosit*  da: 

Bibliotheque  nationale  du  Canada 


Tha  imagas  appearing  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  originel  copy  end  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specif icetions. 


Les  images  suivantas  ont  Ati  raproduites  avac  la 
plus  grand  30in.  compta  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
da  la  nettet*  de  I'exemplaire  film*,  et  en 
conformity  evec  les  conditions  du  contrat  da 
fiimaga. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  ere  filmed 
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the  laat  page  with  a  printed  or  illuatrated  imprea- 
sion,  or  tha  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  ara  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  pege  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, end  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illuatrated  impression. 


Les  exempleirea  originaux  dont  la  couvertura  an 
papier  est  imprimie  sont  film^s  en  commanpant 
par  la  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
darniire  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustretion,  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  les  autras  exemplaires 
origineux  sont  filmis  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiere  pege  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustretion  at  en  terminant  par 
la  derniire  pege  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  leat  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  ^^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
derniire  imege  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  I 
cas:  le  symbols  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE".  le 
symbols  ▼  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  ate.  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  ara  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hend  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartea.  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  etre 
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et  de  haut  en  bes,  en  prenant  la  nombre 
d'imegea  nicessaire.  Les  diegrammes  suivants 
illustrent  le  m^thode. 


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A  MODIRN  HANDRAIL 


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Common- Sense   Stair 
Building  a/^rf  Handrailing 


l^anferailino  in  (Cbrer  39ititiiion^ 

SHOWING  THREE  OF  THE  SIMI'LEaT  MKTHODS  KNOWN  IN  THE 

ART,  WITH  COMPLETE  INSTRUCTIONS  FOR   LAYING  OUT 

AND  WORKING  HANDRAILS  SUITABLE  FOR-  ANY   KIND 

OF  A  STAIR,  STRAIGHT, CIRCULAR  OR  ELLIPTICAL, 

OR  FOR  STAIRS  WITH  LANDINGS  AND  CYLINDERS 


;f)tatr  ^utlbing 

COVERS  UPWARDS   OF    EIGHTY  PAGES,  DEVOTED  TO    NEWEL 

OR  PLATFORM   STAIRS    CHIEFLY,    GIVING  INSTRUCTIONS 

FOR  THEIR    BUILDING,    PLANNING    AND    DECORATION 


BY 


FRED  T.   HODGSON,  Jrehittft 


illustratkd  with  over  two  hl'ndrbd  and  fifty  drawings  and 
Diagrams,  and  Containing  a  Glossary  cp  Terms  Used  in  Stair 
Building  and  HANPRAiiiNr,;  and  in  addition,  Twenty-pive  Mon- 
IKATB  Priced  Hm  sr  Dhsii.n^,  Siihwing  the  Hbrspbctivb  View  and 
Floor  Plans. 


CHICAGO 

FREDERICK  J.   DRAKE  &  CO. 

PUBLISHERS 

1907 


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Copyright,  1903 

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Chicago.  III..  U.  S.  A. 

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PREFACE 

The  following  pages  in  stair-bnilding  and  handrail- 
ing  are  taken  from  the  actual  working  drawings  of  prac- 
tical handrailers  and  stair-builders.  The  first  division 
is,  in  a  great  measure,  the  work  of  George  Langstaff, 
New  England,  and  is  considered  by  expert  workmen 
to  be  one  of  the  best  treatises  of  the  kind,  with  regard 
to  the  stairs  dealt  with.  Of  course  there  are  only 
eleven  kinds  of  stairs,  but  they  are  so  arranged  that 
any  person  mastering  to  the  full  extent  these  eleven 
would  find  no  insurmountable  difficulty  in  dealing  with 
stairs  of  other  kinds. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  reader  of  this  book 
is  supposed  to  have  a  considerable  knowledge  regard- 
ing the  various  methods  of  building  the  stair  proper  in 
all  its  different  forms,  for  without  this  knowledge  it 
will  be  impossible  to  understand  the  methcd  of  laying 
out  and  constructing  a  rail,  even  for  a  straight  stair 
having  a  ramp  at  the  newel  post.  That  is  the  publish- 
ers' reason  for  including  a  valuable  treatise  on  that 
subject,  which  teaches,  in  a  very  simple  manner,  the 
proper  way  to  lay  out  the  carcass  of  a  stair,  and  all  new 
beginners  who  have  not  obtained  a  fair  knowledge  on 
the  subject  will  appreciate  this  addition,  which,  in 
conjunction  with  this  work,  will  fully  equip  any  young 
man  with  all  the  information  he  will  ever  likely  require 
regarding  the  art  of  stair-building  and  handrailing. 

5 


i^^^.iiSf 


6  PREFACE 

The  greater  portion  of  the  first  division  was  pub- 
lished in  "The  Builder  and  Woodworker"  many  years 
ago,  and  afterwards,  in  a  very  much  amended  form,  in 
"The  National  Builder,"  and  is  now  in  book  form  for 
the  first  time. 

The  second  division  which  contains  some  excellent 
examples  is  the  work  of  several  contributors,  who 
worked  under  a  like  system.  The  methods  of  obtaining 
the  wreaths  and  twists  are  worth  studying,  as  they 
show  how  these  can  be  lined  out  with  the  greatest  of 
ease  when  the  subject  is  understood.  This  method  is 
nearly  complete  in  itself. 

The  third  division  is  perhaps  the  most  complete  of 
the  three,  as  about  any  kind  of  a  rail  can  be  obtained 
by  the  use  of  this  system.  While  not  exactly  like  the 
system  of  the  late  Robert  Riddell,  it  approaches  it  so 
nearly  that  ordinary  workmen  would  scarcely  know  the 
difference,  but  there  is  a  difference,  and  Mr.  Wilson, 
who  has  helped  to  work  this  system  out,  deserves 
much  credit  for  simplifying  the  whole  scheme. 

The  science  of  handrailing  was  never  reduced  to  such 
simplicity  as  now,  and  it  is  claimed  for  the  three 
divisions  shown  in  "Common-Sense  Handrailing"  that 
the  latest  and  simplest  methods  arc  shown  therein,  and 
this,  too,  at  about  one-fifth  the  cost  of  the  older  and 
more  elaborate  methods.  In  saying  this  we  do  not 
mean  to  belittle  the  larger  and  in  some  cases  the  more 
extended  works  of  Nicholson,  GraiT,  Reynalds, 
Sherrett,  Mnnckton,  Secor,  RiddcU  and  others.     Each 


PREFACE 


and  every  on''  has  much  to  recommend  it,  and  the 
expert  handrailer  will  no  doubt  have  copies  of  these 
larger  works  on  his  shelves.  To  the  first  and  last  of 
the  names  given  in  the  foregoing  belong  the  greatest 
honors  in  this  science,  the  first  for  his  invention,  or 
rather  discovery,  of  the  true  geometrical  principles 
involved,  and  the  latter  for  divesting  the  science  of  its 
crudities  and  reducing  it  to  more  simple  conditions. 
Nearly  all  improvements  in  the  science  are  due  in 
large  measure  to  the  methods  employed  b>  Robert 
Riddell. 

The  prismatic  solid  when  thoroughly  understood  will 
show  to  the  student  pretty  nearly  everything  required 
in  handrailing,  and  it  is  the  advice  of  the  writer  that 
this  solid  should  be  analyzed  by  the  young  man  who 
wishes  to  become  an  expert,  and  the  study  will  neither 
be  tedious  nor  uninteresting. 

In  all  cases  a  stairway  should  be  commodious, 
inviting  and  easy  of  ascent,  and  when  winders  are  used 
they  should  extend  past  the  spring  line  of  the  cylinder, 
so  as  to  give  a  fair  wreath  at  narrow  end  of  tread  and 
to  bring  the  rail  as  near  as  possible  to  the  same  pitch 
as  rail  over  square  steps,  and  when  the  hall  or  space  is 
sufficiently  widt  should  not  be  less  than  j  feet  6  inches 
in  width;  4  feet  would  be  much  better,  then  two 
persons  can  pass  each  other.  The  height  of  riser  and 
width  of  step  are  governed  by  the  space  allowed  for  the 
stairs,  but  as  a  general  rule  the  step  should  not  be  less 
than  9  inches  wide  and  the  riser  should  not  exceed 


.^7'^-     -.'::•  Mr^         :i^'''^^^^^^''t^^^ 


•  PREFACE 

8  inches  in  height.  Seven  inches  rise  and  ii  inches 
tread  make  a  very  easy  and  good-looking  stairway.  If 
the  width  of  tread  is  increased  the  riser  must  be  cotc- 
spondingly  reduced.  The  tread  and  riser  together 
should  not  be  over  i8  inches  or  less  than  17  inches. 
Of  course  there  are  occasions  when  this  rule  cannot 
be  employed,  and  the  workman  will  be  called  upon  to 
exercise  his  own  judgment,  but  the  closer  he  keeps  to 
this  rule  the  better  will  be  his  stair  so  far  as  comfort 
and  convenience  are  concerned. 

This  little  book  contains  over  240  illustrations— all  of 
a  practical  nature— and  it  is  hoped  the  text  describing 
them  is  sufficiently  clear,  and  that  the  student  will  have 
no  difficulty  in  understanding  what  is  meant  and  in 
being  able,  after  understanding  them,  to  construct  a 
handrail  over  any  flight  of  stairs  that  he  may  be  called 
upon  to  erect.     This  is  the  ardent  wish  of  the  writer. 


Fred  T.  Hodgson. 


January,  £903. 


^^^^^m^€mjL 


"  "^r^VrfJ 


NOTICE 


To  the  many  workmen  who  are  purchasing  the  publications  nnder  the 
authorship  of  Fred  T.  H<nlt;si)n,  ami  who  we  feel  sure  have  been  benefited 
by  his  excellent  treatises  on  many  Carpentry  and  Building  subjects,  we 
desire  to  inform  them  that  the  following  list  of  books  have  been  published 
since  1903,  thereby  making  tht-m  strictly  up-to-date  in  every  detail.  All  of 
the  newer  books  bearing  the  imprint  of  Frederick  J.  Drake  &  Co.  are  modern 
in  every  respect  and  of  a  purely  self-educational  character,  expressly  issued 
for  Home  Study. 

PBACTICAL  USES  OF  THE  STEEL  SQUARE,  two  volumes,  over  500 
pages,  including  100  jierr  ective  views  and  floor  plans  of  medium- 
priced  houses.  Cloth,  two  volumes,  price  $2.00.  Half  leather, 
price  $3.00. 

MODERN  CARPENTRY  AND  JOINERY,  300  pages,  including  50  house 
plans,  persijeetlve  views  and  floor  plans  of  medium  and  low-cost 
houses.    Cloth,  price  $1.00.    Half  leather,  price  $1.90. 

BUILDERS'  ARCHITECTURAL  DRAWING  SELF-TAUOHT,  over  Sso 
pages,  including  5U  house  plans.  Ciotb  price  $2.00.  Half  leather, 
price  $3.00. 

MODERN  ESTIMATOR  AND  CONTRACTO  S'  GUIDE,  for  pricing  build 
ers'  work,  350  pages.  Including  ."iO  hoi  le  plans.  Cloth,  price  $1.S0. 
Half  leather,  price  $2.00. 

MODERN  LOW-COST  AMERICAN  HOMES,  over  200  pages.  Cloth,  price 
$1.00.    Half  leather,  price  $1.50. 

PRACTICAL  UP-TO-DATE  HARDWOOD  FINISHER,  over  300  pages. 
Cloth,  price  $1.00.    Half  Leather,  price  $1.B0. 

COMMON  SENSE  STAIR  BUILDING  AND  BANDRAILINQ,  over  2!V) 
pages,  including  perspective  views  and  floor  plans  of  50  medium-priced 
houses.    Cloth,  price  $1.00.    Half  leather,  price  $1.60. 

STONEMASONS'  AND  BRICKLAYERS'  GUIDE,  over  800  pages.  Cloth, 
price  $1.  BO.    Halt  leather,  price  $2.00. 

PRACTICAL  WOOD  CARVING,  over  200  pages.  Cloth,  price  $1.Q0.  Half 
leather,  price  $2.00. 

Sold  by  booksellers  generally,  or  sent,  all  charges  paid,  upon  receipt  of 
price,  to  any  address  in  the  world 

FREDERICK  J.  DRAKE  &  CO. 

Publishers 

350  Wabash  Ave.,  Chicago.  U.  S.  A. 


STAIRCASE   NIWEL   AND   RAIL 


Common-Sense    Handrailing 


FIRST    METHOD 

The  building  of  stairs  and  properly  making  and 
placing  over  them  a  graceful  handrail  and  suitable 
balusters  and  newel  posts  is  one  of  the  greatest  achieve- 
ments of  the  joiner's  art  and  skill,  yet  it  is  an  art  that  is 
the  least  understood  of  any  of  the  constructive  processes, 
that  the  carpenter  or  joiner  is  called  upon  to  accom- 
plish. In  but  very  few  of  the  plans  made  by  an 
architect  are  the  stairs  properly  laid  down  or  divided 
off;  indeed,  most  of  the  stairs  as  laid  out  and  planned 
by  the  architect,  are  impossible  ones  owing  to  the  fact 
that  the  circumstances  that  govern  the  formation  of 
the  rail  are  either  not  understood,  or  not  noticed  by 
the  designer;  and  the  expert  handrailer  often  finds  it 
difficult  to  conform  the  stairs  and  rail  to  the  plan. 
Generally,  however,  he  gets  so  close  to  it  that  the 
character  of  the  design  is  seldom  changed. 

The  stairs  are  the  great  feature  of  a  building,  as  they 
are  the  first  object  that  meets  the  visitor  and  claims  his 
attention,  and  it  is  essential,  therefore,  that  the  stair 
and  its  adjuncts  should  have  a  neat  and  graceful 
appearance,  and  this  can  only  be  accomplished  by 
having  the  rail  properly  made  and  set  up. 

It  is  proposed  in  this  little  book  to  give  such 
instructions  in  the  art  of  handrailing  as  will  enable 

9 


M 


lo  COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 


the  young  workman  to  build  a  rail  so  that  it  will 
assume  a  handsome  appearance  when  set  in  place. 
There  are  eleven  distinct  styles  of  stairs  shown,  but 
the  same  principle  that  governs  the  making  of  the 
simplest  rail,  governs  the  construction  of  the  most 
difficult,  so,  having  once  mastered  the  simple  prob- 
lems in  this  system,  progress  in  the  art  will  become 
easy,  and  a  little  study  and  practice  will  enable  the 
workman  to  construct  a  rail  for  the  most  tortuous  stair- 
way. 

A  knowledge  of  geometry  is  not  required  in  the 
study  of  this  system,  but  it  would  aid  the  workman 
materially  if  he  possessed  a  knowledge  of  that  science, 
and  where  possible  he  should  avail  himself  6f  acquir- 
ing as  much  knowledge  of  geometry  as  possible,  not 
only  for  the  study  of  handrailing  but  nearly  every 
branch  of  the  building  trade. 

The  progressive  lessons  given  herewith  will,  I  am 
sure,  be  of  great  assistance  to  stair-builders  already 
engaged  in  the  business  and  to  the  young  aspiring 
mechanic,  anxious  to  master  every  branch  of  his  trade 
and  to  penetrate  all  its  mysteries.  This  system  will 
open  a  hitherto  sealed  book,  especially  to  the  young 
man  whose  knowledge  of  geometry  may  be  rather 
limited.  There  will  be  no  labyrinthic  network  of  lines 
to  torment  and  confuse  the  student,  nothing  but  what 
is  absolutely  necessary  to  obtain  the  face  moulds  and 
bevels  for  marking  and  working  the  wreaths.  The 
figures  from  l  to  n  show  flights  of  stairs  of  various 
shapes  and  forms,  and  cover  all  the  examples  the 
workman  will  ever  likely  be  called  upon  to  build.  At 
any  rate,  if  he  should  have  to  construct  a  form  of 
stairs  not  shown  in  these  examples,  the  knowledge 
rjained  by  a  study  of  these  presented  will  enable  him 


FIRST    METHOD 


ti 


to  wrestle  with  other  forms,  no  matter  what  their  plans 
may  be.  The  only  form  of  stair  not  shown  that  the 
student  may  be  called  upon  to  build  would  very  likely 
be  flights  having  an  elliptical  plan,  but  as  this  form  is 
so  seldom  used,  and  then  only  in  public  buildings  or 
great  mansions,  it  seldom  falls  to  the  lot  of  the  ordi- 
nary workman  to  be  called  upon  to  design  or  construct 
them.  However,  to  provide  for  such  a  contingency  a 
method  of  laying  out  and  constructing  a  handrail  will 
be  illustrated  and  described  at  the  close  of  this 
treatise. 


Fig.  1. 


^ 


Fig.  I  exhibits  the  plan  of  a  straight  stair  with  an 
ordinary  cylinder  at  the  top,  provided  for  a  return  rail 
on  the  landing.  It  also  shows  a  lengthened  step  at 
the  starting. 


^ 

v.—,             

S 

Fij 

r-2 

9 

Fig.  2  shows  a  plan  of  a  stair  with  a  landing  and 
return  steps. 


la  COMMON-SENSE   HANDRAILING 


Fig.  3  shows  a 
plan  with  an  acute 
angular  landing 
and  cylinder. 


Fig.  4  shows  the  same  kind  of  stair  as  Fig.  3,  only 
being  .\t  an  obtuse  angle. 


Fig.  6- 


^ 


Fig.  5  exhibits  a  stair  having  a  half-turn  with  two 
risers  on  landings. 


FIRST  METHOD 


«3 


■  t 


'»4 


i 


Fig.  6. 


Fig.  6  shows  a  plan  of  a  quarter-space  stair  with 
four  winders. 


Fig.  7. 


_) 


Fig.  7  is  the  plan  of  a  stair  similar  to  Fig.  6,  but 
having  seven  winders. 


Fig.  8  shows  the  plan  of  a  stair  having  five  "dancing 
winders." 


-yr 


'L'  '':j 


>4 


COMMON-SENSE    HANDRAILING 


Fig.  9  is  the   plan  of  a  half-space  stair  having  five 
"dancing  winders"  and  a  quarter-space  landing. 


Fig.  10  shows  the  plan  of    a   half-space  stair  with 
"dancing  winders"  all  around  the  cylinder 


FIRST  METHOD 


«S 


Fig.  II  shows  the 
plan  of  a  geometrical 
stair  having  winders 
all  around  the  cylin- 
der. 

As  it  is  necessary 
the  student  should  be 
acquainted  with  the 
methods  of  develop- 
ment of  the  angle  of 
tangents  which  give 
shape    and  joints   of 

til-'  face  moulds  direc'V  from  the  pitch  lines,  a  couple 
of  examples  are  herev  h  illustrated.  Fig.  12  shows 
a  straight  pitch  in  which  both  tangents  are  of  equal 
length,  while  Fig.  13  shows  the  tangents  of  unequal 
lengths  and  different  pitches,  and  I  advise  the  student 
to  thoroughly  master  these  two  problems  by  frequently 
reproducing  them,  as  these  two  examples  are  the  very 
foundation  of  the  system  we  are  about  to  submit. 

A  tangent  is  a  line  touching  a  circle  at  right  angles 
to  the  radius  as  shown  at  Fig.  14,  and  is  readily  con- 
structed and  as  easily  understood. 

To  construct  Fig.  12,  from  center  O  with  the 
radius  OA,  describe  a  quarter  circle,  APC;  draw  tan- 
gents AB  and  CB,  join  AC;  through  the  point  B  draw 
a  straight  line  parallel  to  AC;  with  center  B,  with 
radius  BA,  describe  the  arcs  AD  and  CE;  at  the  point 
E  erect  the  perpendicular  EF  at  right  angles  to  DE  to 
ai.y  desired  height  (in  laying  out  a  handrail  this  height 
will  be  the  same  as  the  height  of  the  number  of  risers 
contained  in  the  wreath);  let  F  be  the  given  height 
(this  being  one  pitch);  join  FD,  extend  OB  to  G;  from 
G  dra'v  GH  at  right  angles  to  FD;  make  GH  equal  to 


II 
I 


x6  CO^.  MON-SENSE    HANDRAILING 

»     if 


cutt 


res, 
are 


FIRST  METHOD 

H  


tangents  on  the  pitch,  and  which,  when  placed  in  posi- 
tion, would  stand  plumb  over  ABC. 


T 


^■i^&^ 


■'5?^T.''1^^^ 


■'■?  .=?r 


i«  COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

To  construct  Fig.  13,  proceed  in  the  same  manner  as 
m  Fig.   12,  until  the  height  is  located.      It  will  be 
r»»ftnt  noticed  that  in  this  exam- 

ple BG  is  lifted  higher, 
making  the  pitch-lines  and 
tangents  FG  and  DG  of  un- 
equal lengths.  To  obtain 
the  angle  continue  BG  to 
H,  making  BH  equal  to 
EF;  from  H  draw  the  line 
HJ  to  any  distance  at  right 
angles  to  DG.  With  the 
center  G  and  radius  GF 
*u    1-      .T«  ~^    .  describe    an    arc    cutting 

the  Ime  HJ  at  S;  join  SG  and  SD  and  the  angle  is  com- 
pleted. 

An  easy  way  to  prove  the  correctness  of  these  prob- 
lems IS  to  draw  them  on  common  thick  paper  or  card- 
board on  a  larger  scale  than  shown  in  these  diagrams- 
then  take  a  tnife  and  cut  out  theangle  DEF,  place  it  per- 
pend.culany  over  /VfiC,  bringing  D  over  A  and  E  over 
C;  then  cutout  the  angle  HKL,  and  if  drawn  correctly 
It  will  he  on  the  pitch-lines  and  fit  the  sides  exactly. 

To  draw  the  curve  line  in  the  most  practical  way 
take  B  as  a  center,  and  with  ladius  BP  describe  an  arc 
touching  the  curve  APC  in  the  angle  ABC;  from  H  as 
a  center,  with  the  same  radius,  describe  an  arc  cutting 
HG  at  M;  then  take  a  thin  flexible  strip  of  wood  of 
an  even  thickness,  bend  it  until  it  touches  the  points 
KLM;  mark  around  it  with  a  pencil,  and  the  curve  is 
completed,  and  near  enough  to  absolute  accuracy  for 
all  practical  purposes.  The  curve  so  obtained  in  its 
perfection  should  be  a  portion  of  au  ellipse,  which  it 
will  be  if  correctly  drawn. 


FIRST   METHOD 


>9 


Let  us  now  go  back  to  Fig.  I  and  describe  the 
method  for  obtaining  the  f-;e  moulds  and  bevels 
of  turnout  and  wreath  pieces  for  that  style  of  a 
stair. 

To  build  these  stairs  correctly  and  with  an  easy, 
graceful  rail,  two  or  three  things  must  be  carefully 
observed   in  taking  dimensions  and  laying  down  the 
plan.     Measure  the  height  from  top  of  first,  to  top  of 
second  floor;  set  the  rod  you  measure  with  plumb  at 
the  trimmer  where  the  stairs  land,  and  be  sure  that  the 
ower  end  is  level  from  where  the  stairs  start.     Measure 
the  width  of  opening  from  studding  to  face  of  trim- 
mer,  also  the  depth  of  joist,  that  the  cylinder  may 
curve  round  and  meet  the  face  board  level;  plumb  down 
from  the  header  at  landing,   and  measure  back   the 
amount  of  run  where  the  stairs  start;  divide  the  height 
into  the  necessary  number  of  risers,  space  off  the  run, 
making  one  less  than  in  dividing  the  height,  anc  also 
make  allowance  for  the  cylinder,  landing  and  swell  of 
the  turnout  steps.     Where  it  is  practicable  make  the 
rise  seven  inches  or  as  near  to  it  as  possible,  and  make 
the  tread,  or  step,  ten  inches  or  as  near  as  can  be,  as 
this  combination  makes  a  very  easy  stair  for  dwell- 
ings, but  of  course  the  height  of  riser  and  width  of 
tread  will  be  dependent  to  a  great  extent  on  the  sur- 
rounding conditions. 

In  laying  out  the  steps  for  the  turnout  observe  the 
same  rule  that  applies  to  all  winding  stairs,  that  is,  to 
make  them  as  near  the  widtii  of  the  straight  treads  as 
possible  on  the  wallcing  line.  Locate  the  landing  riser 
exactly  half  a  step  from  the  center  of  rail  on  landing, 
as  shown  at  Fig.  15.  This  will  bring  the  rail  the  same 
height  on  landing  as  it  is  in  the  middle  of  the  step. 
Any  departure  from  this  -ule  will  either  change  the 


io  COMMON-SENSE   KANDRAILING 

height  or  will  make  it  necessary  to  spring  the  wreath 
or  slab  off  the  shank,  a  very  clumsy  experiment. 


Fig.  15. 


Fig.  15  shows  the  plan  of  turnout  steps,  with  rail 
mitering  into  cap.  The  dotted  curved  line  shows  face 
of  string.  The  black  line  shows  center  of  rail  with 
tangent  ABC  at  right  angles  to  dotted  radius. 

Fig.  16  shows  the 
tangents  in  position  on 
the  pitch.  To  construct 
Fig.  [6,  take  the  pitch- 
board  and  mark  out  the 
steps  as  shown.  Be- 
ginning at  third   riser 

%  u  I-      r-T,  r  andcumingdown,draw 

pitch-lme  CB  from  second  riser  D;  mark  distance  DE 
which  gives  angle  B;  draw  level  tangent  BA,  agree- 
ing with  BA,  Fig.  15;  continue  line  of  first  step  with 
dotted  line  to  F,  draw  FC;  continue  the  line  AB  to  G 
Ihe  distance  from  u  to  C  is  the  required  height,  and 
t.B  gives  the  height  to  which  the  rail  is  lifted  at  the 
newel. 


T.J*:  •.■e-»- 


r-'i'rv'.v'*'.'  - 


:^W^?l^]^.j4ir^-^-1gy-:f^m  "^^^^^^LM^ 


FIRST  METHOD 


at 


TigA7. 


To  construct  Fig.  17, 
draw  tangents  ABC,  and 
curve  line  exactly  like 
Fig.  15.  In  practice 
this  figure  can  be  dra  vn 
on  Fig.  15,  and  to  avoid 
confusion  of  lines  it  is 
transferred.  Continue 
AB  to  D;  draw  DC  at 
right  angles  to  DB;  set 
up  the  height,  GC,  Fig. 
16.  Connect  ED  at  right 
angles  to  ED,  draw  DP; 
with  D  as  center,  de- 
scribe an  arc  from  B  to 
G  and  from  A  to  F,  then 
connect  EG;  draw  dot- 
ted ordinates  AA  to 
mark  center  of  curve  and 

chord  line.  The  spring  bevel  for  squaring  the  wreath 
at  lower  end  is  found  at  angle  E.  To  obtain  the  bevel 
for  upper  joints  take  a  center  an)Mvhere  on  line  ED, 
describe  an  arc  touching  EG  and  cutting  ED  at  H. 
Draw  line  from  center  of  arc  at  right  angles  to  ED,  cut- 
ting  EC  at  I.     Connect  HI,  and  the  angle  at  H  is  the 

upper  spring  bevel. 
The  develop- 
ment of  pitch-line 
for  wreath  is 
shown  at  Fig.  18. 
First  make  apian 
of  the  cylinder; 
liraw  center  line 
uf  rail  with  tan- 


a»  COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

gents  CAB  (the  distance  from  face  of  string  to  centci- 
of  rail  varies  according  to  size  of  baluster),  locate  the 
risers,  putting  last  one-half  step  from  angle  A  locate 
the  joint  of  rail  at  riser  C.  With  A  for  a  center  de- 
scribe  the  arc  ACD,  extend  AB  to  D,  swing  last  riser 
around  to  E,  chord  line  H,  and  X  to  I.  Place  pitch- 
board  with  riser  touching  AC,  and  hypothenuse  or 
raking  side  cutting  through  E;  draw  pitch-line  and 
continue  AC  to  meet  it  at  F.  AF  is  the  height  of  rail 
above  the  floor;  draw  FG  at  right  angles  to  FC;  con- 
tinue radius  O  through  to  G,  square  up  from  I  to  pitch- 
line  and  from  H  and  D  down. 


Fig.Bo.  r-j\ 

• 

^\ 

• 

To  construct  Fig.  19  (this  figure  can  be  drawn  on 
Fig.  18,  but  IS  transferred  for  the  same  reason  as  Fig. 
17).  draw  a  line  agreeing  exactly  with  pitch-line  Df' 
with  points  HEI  marked;  make  FG  at  right  angles  to 
DF  and  equal  to  FG.  Fig.  18.    Draw  the  line  I  equal  to 
X,  Fig.  18,  bend  in  a  thin  strip  of  wood  and  draw 
curve  GIH.    Set  off  half  the  width  of  rail  on  each  side 
of  this  curve  line,  square  the  joints  from  the  tangents 
KFG,  and  the  mould  is  completed.     A  little  more 
than  the  finished  size  of  rail  is  necessary  to  square  the 
wreath,  but  not  often  more  than  one-eighth  of  an  in'-h 
on  each  side.     The  surest  way  is  to  draw  the  sprine 
bevel  on  a  board,  place  a  templet  the  size  of  the  rafl 
on  a  bevel  line  at  right  angles  to  it,  squai     from  the 
edge   of    board   across    corners,    draw  parallel    lines 


rw^-  -^ 


I 

i 


FIRST  METHOD 


»3 


enclosing  the  templet,  and  it  will  be  seen  at  once  how 
wide  the  mould  should  be  and  what  thickness  of  plank 
is  required.  This  method  is  seen  in  application  of 
bevels  at  Figs.  21  and  22. 

Fig.  20  shows  the  bevel  portion  of  wreath;  a  better 
appearance  is  given  to  the  wreath  Ly  using  plank  half 
an  inch  thicker  than  the  rail,  and  casing  it  up  from 
center  joint  as  shown  by  the  sections  on  end  of  mould. 


Tig.  21. 


Fig.  22. 


m 


Figs.  21  and  22  show  the  application  of  the  spring 
bevels  and  templets  for  squaring  the  wreaths. 

The  bevel  for  Fig.  21  is  found  at  F,  and  is  simply  the 
pitch  of  the  stairs.  The  bevels  for  the  turnout  wreath 
are  both  applied  in  the  same  manner,  from  the  inside, 
or  the  face  cutting  through  the  center,  as  shown  by  the 
sections. 

The  following  illustrations  exhibit  a  method  of 
obtaining  the  face  moulds  for  the  flight  of  stairs  shown 
at  Fig.  2,  which  is  a  flight  the  most  common  in  use. 

To  obtain  dimensions  make  the  plan,  etc.,  and  fol- 
low the  instructions  given  for  Fig.  I.  Where  the  ri- 
sers are  located  half  a  step  from  center  of  rail,  as 
explained  previously,  the  same  method  will  apply  to 
this  flight,  and  the  bevel  will  be  the  pitch  of  the  stairs 
at  the  center  point,  and  the  section  will  be  square  with 
the  face  of  stuff  at  the  straisrht  end  of  wreath. 

Suppose  Fig  23  to  be  the  ground  plan  of  cylinder, 
with  risers  placed  in  a  position  that  insures  an  easy, 


a4  COMMON-SENSE   HANDRAILING 

graceful  rail,  and  also  adds  to  the  run  by  curving  the 
landing  and  starting  risers  back  to  the  platform. 


■ 

1 
I- 

*^^H 

" '  '*.  ^^E 

'  V^^^B 

^^,'^H 

1' 

\  ^H 

'*'.  ^M 

'. 

^^^H 

■ 

- 

IN 


To  construct  Fig.  23.  draw  the  center  line  of  rail 

aroundT'%^n^^=    '""  ^  ^"^  ^  ''  -"^-^-  -■"? 
around  A  and  D,  cutting  B  and  C  extended;   swing 

around  the  r.sers  E  and  F  in  like  manner;  plac^  pitch 

board  w.th  r.ser  parallel  to  AB  and  touching  H   and 

he  rak.ng  s,de.   cutting  through   G.      Mark  oui  the 

reads  and  risers  as  shown  at  XXXX.     Draw  oitch- 

mes.  as  shown  cutting  AB  and  DC  extended  up;  join 

IK    and  the  p.tch-Iine  is  complete.      To  obta^;   the 

angle  of  tangents  at  K  draw  dotted  line  from  center  of 

cylinder   cutting   IK  at  L.      Draw   UN    through   L 

KI  ton  "A?;.    ^''""^  '""'"'■  ^  «wing  around 

i^L  to  O;  connect  KO,  and  the  angle  is  complete. 


bAl-z.J'^^tXsi 


FIRST  METHOD 


»5 


To  obtain  the  spring  bevels  —  from  center  B 
describe  an  arc,  touching  the  pitch-line  KI  extended, 
and  cutting  BI  at  P;  connect  PG,  and  the  bevel  for 
center  joint  is  found  at  P. 

To  obtain  bevels  for  joints  connecting  with  straight 
rail,  take  M  as  a  center  and  describe  an  arc  touch- 
ing lower  pitch  extended  connect  with  L,  and  the 
bevel  is  found. 


^ 


m 


Fig.  2^< 


Figs.  24  and  25  show  the  sections  and  application 
of  bevels  on  rails.  Fig.  24  is  the  lower  and  Fig.  25 
the  upper  wreath;  the  same  face  would  serve  for  both, 
as  the  upper  and  lower  pitches  are  the  same. 

Let  us  now  examine  Figs.  3  and  4,  and  endeavor  to 
form  rails  to  suit  them.  As  before  stated,  these  two 
examples  represent  on  the  ground  plans  obtuse  and 
acute  angles  at  the  return  landings;  ana  n  the  forma- 
tion of  rails  to  mee.  the  requireioents  for  these  stairs, 
the  student  will  have  covered  the  ground  for  the  for- 
mation of  rails  for  nearly  every  kind  of  rail  required 
for  a  platform  stair.  In  locating  these  risers  at  the 
landings  be  sure  to  place  them,  if  possible,  exactly 


fkvJET"  -i^ 


;:T**f         >~, 


a6  COMMON-SENSE  HAx,ORAILING 

half  a  step  each  way  from  angle  B,  Fig.  26.     This  will 
insure  an  easy  rail 


Fig.  26  shows  the  development  of  the  angle  of  tan- 
gents for  the  face  mould  and  the  bevel  for  springing 
the  wreath.  Draw  the  angle  ABC  on  center  line  of 
rail  as  shown;  draw  dotted  line  from  center  O  to  B; 
draw  DE  at  right  angles  to  OB;  from  center  B  swing 
around  A  and  C  to  D  and  E;  set  up  one  riser  from  D 
to  F,  and  one  down  from  E;  mark  one  step  above  and 
below  the  pitch-board;  draw  pitch-line  XX. 

Connect  CA,  and  continue  OB  to  G;  with  B  as  a 
center,  describe  an  arc  touching  CA;  from  G  as  a 
center  with  the  same  radius,  describe  an  arc;  from  E 
draw  line  touching  this  arc;  from  G  again  swing 
around  GF  to  H;  connect  GH,  and  the  angle  of  tan- 
gent is  complete.  The  amount  of  straight  wood  on 
wreath  is  shown  from  K  and  H  to  the  j'^ints  XX. 

To  obtain  the  bevel   it  is  first  necessary  to  find  the 


■•rrr 


FIRST  METHOD 


•r 


27 


point  I;  from  H  with  FD  for  radius,  swing  an  arc  and 
intersect  with  another  from  E;  having  CA  for  radius, 
connect  EI  and  HI;  take  a  center,  K,  anywhere  on  the 
line  EH,  draw  an  arc  touching  GH  and  cutting  EH  at 
L;  square  down  from  K,  cutting  JH  at  M;  connect 
LM,  and  the  bevel  is  found  for  both  joints  of  the 
wreath,  the  pitch  being  one  straight  line.  Fig 
shows  applica- 
tion of  bevel  to 
wreath. 

Figs.  28  and 
29  are  simply  a 
repetition  of 
Figs.  26  and  27 
excepting  that  the  ground  plan  forms  sn  obtuse  angle. 


Fig.  30  shows  the  manner  of  sliding  the  mould  on 
the  wreath  to  mark  it  for  blocking.  We  may  state  here 
that  there  have  been  worked  some  hundreds  of  rails 
during  the  past  thirty  years  by  this  method,  and  we 
have  come  to   the   conclusion   that  the  easiest  and 


a8  COMMON-SENSE    HANDRAILINO 


i 


quickest  way  to  block  out  a  rail   Is  to  use  just  such 

moultis  as  arr 
shown  in  the 
Hrawing,  viz., 
of  a  parallel 
width,  d 

just  sufficient- 
ly large  to 
square  the  rail 
properly  for 
ni  o  u  I  d  i  n  f^ . 
When    the 

wreath  is  sawed  out,  the  face  of  stuff  carefully  planed 
true,  the  tangents  marked  and  the  joints  made  perfectly 
square  with  the  face  and  with  the  tangents,  then  square 
the  tangent  across  the  joints,  mark  the  center  and  draw 
the  bevel  across,  as  shown  in  Fig.  27,  mark  the  section 
of  rail  at  right  angles  to  bevel.     The  best  method  of 
doing  this  is  to  use  a  thin  templet  wiih  a  small  no.     n 
the  center,  through  which  put  a  scratch  awl,  then  swing 
the  templet  until  exactly  at  right  angles  with  bevel  and 
mark  all  round  it.     The  section  being  marked,  square 
in    from    the   joints   on   all    sides   to  make   sure  the 
wreath   will   bolt   on    to   the   straight   rail   and   form 
a   clean   line.      To    mark    the    curve    line    slide    the 
mould    up,    as   shown    in    Fig.    30,    mark    the    inside 
edge   (this    line   will    not    be    quite    as    accurate    as 
one   made    from  an   elliptical  mould   on   the   sliding 
principle   with    wide    ends,    but    it    is    near    enough 
for  all  practical  purposes)  by  roughing  out  the  inside 
first    and    occasionally  planing  through   the   wreath. 
Looking  in  the  direction  of  a  plumb-line,  it  will  he  seen 
at  once  when   to  take  off  the  superfluous  wood,  and 
with  a  little  care  the  inside  will  soon  show  a  clean:  true 


FIRST  METHOD 


99 


■# 

^ 


surface.  As  soon  as  this  is  done  gauge  the  wreath  to  a 
width,  then  bend  in  a  thin  str'p.  Connecting,'  tin- 
straight  lines  squared  in  from  each  end,  mark  around  the 
outside  in  the  same  manner,  mark  off  the  top,  gauge  to  a 
thickness,  and  the  wreath  is  squared.  The  plumb-line 
can  be  marked  on  the  inside  of  the  wreath,  and  wil 
give  the  line  of  sight  by  taking  the  bevel  from  the 
aii-ic  EHJ,  Fig.  26. 

Now  we  will  describe  the  method  for  constructing 
the  face  moulds  of  a  handrailing  for  a  stair  suitable  for 
the  plan  shown  in  Fig.  5.  In  this  example  two  prob- 
lems are  used  to  obtain  the  development  of  tangents, 
bends  and  twists  of  the  rail. 

Let  Fig.  31  represent  the  ground  plan  of  cylinder 
with  the  risers  marked  in  position,  also  the  elevation 
and  "pitch"  inclination  of  center  line. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  pitch-line  is  perfectly 
straight.  This  is  caused  by  the  risers  being  placed  so 
as  to  bring  them  exactly  the  width  ot  a  step  from  each 
other  on  the  tangent  line,  as  shown  in  the  plan  and 
elevation,  Fig.  31.  This  is  a  point  the  student  should 
always  bear  in  mind;  locate  the  risers  this  way  when- 
ever practicable,  and  you  are  sure  to  have  a  good-look- 
ing, easy  rail. 

To  construct  Fig.  31,  the  plan  of  cylinder  being 
made  w'th  risers  and  center  line  of  rail  drawn,  swing 
out  A  and  D  to  meet  BC  extended,  also  the  risers  E 
and  F;  place  the  pitch-board  at  the  point  where  E 
cuts  the  line  BC,  keeping  the  risers  parallel  with  BA, 
and  the  raking  side  cutting  through  the  point  where 
A  swings  around  to  BC.  Mark  the  step  and  riser  and 
continue  the  elevation  as  shown;  draw  the  pitch-line, 
draw  GH,  continue  DC  to  L,  draw  MN  at  right  angles 
to  GH    and    extend    to    chord  line  at  S;   from  N  at 


to 


COMMON-SENSE    HANDRAILING 


if 


f! 


If 


i 


right  angles  to  pitch-line  draw  a  line  indefinitely;  with 
L  for  center  and  LH  for  radius,  describe  arc  cutting 


line  drawn  from  N  at  O;  connect  LO,  and  the  triangle 
OLP  gives  the  tangents  for  the  face  mould. 

The  pitch-line  being  straight,  the  tangents  are  all  of 
equal  lengths,  so  it  will  be  seen  at  once  that  f'  face 
mould  obtained  will  be  the  same  for  both  ut        and 


FIRST    METHOD 


3» 


lower  wreaths,  and  the  bevel  for  both  ends  is   found  at 
R,  as  shown. 


¥ 


/•^. 


I 


Fig.  32  is  sim  1  ii  .  •  ■  i^;. 
12,  excepting  tl  •  !<\(lo;)- 
ment  of  tangent  wn;>.!i  it 
will  beobserved  is  obtained 
somewhat  differently. 

l''g-    33   describes    how 
the    development   can    be 
obtained    by  the    method 
shown  in  Fig.  12.     While 
this  method     is    perfectly     ( 
correct  in  all   cases  where     » 
the  tangents  are  of  equal 
lengths,  still  it  ^s  better  to 
use  the  methods  shown  in 
Fi^s.  32  and  34,  as  they  will  be  more  correct  whenever 
a  change  occurs  in  the  pitch.     Fig.  34  is  a  facsimile 


of  the  "development"  in  Fig.  31,  and  is  drawn  in 
order  to  make  the  student  more  familiar  with  this  im- 
portant problem. 


3' 


COMMON-SENSE    HANDRAILING 


in  order  to  produce  the  face  moulds,  bevels,  etc.,  for 
the  flight  of  stairs  exhibited  in  the  plan,  Fig.  6,  we 
must  proceed  as  follows.     Fig.  35  shows  the  ground 


1 

! 

• 

1 

J^ 

» 

X 

t 
H 

• 

f 

1 

4 

/ 

\ 

1 

• 

J 

J 

1 

1 

1 

k 

• 

M 

• 
4 

1 

■'^L-»                       * 

1 

f*|     "^                                                   • 

t 

• 

/ 

• 

:■[ I. 


Fig.  35. 


plan  and  elevations  of  treads  and  risers.  The  expla- 
nations given  for  the  solution  of  previous  examples 
will  apply  to  this  one  if  the  figure  be  properly  studied, 
as  the  method  of  proceeding  to  lay  down  the  rail  is 
exactly  the  same. 

In  the  elevation  it  will  be  seen  that  one  pitch  is 
employed  for  the  wreath  and  the  connections  made 
with  the  pitch  of  the  flyers  by  a  ramp  above  and  below. 


FIRST  METHOD 


33 


One  pattern  answers  for  both  ramps,  as  the  pitch 
over  the  fivers  is  the  same  in  both  cases. 


By  carefully  studying  Fig.  12,  the  landing  wreath, 
Fig.  36,  will  be  easily  understood.  Care  must  be 
taken  to  locate  the  last  riser  as  near  half  a  step  from 
the  level  tangent  as  possible. 

Fig.  37  shows  tangents,  center  line  of  rail  and  the 
application  of  the  bevels  for  the  wreath. 

Fig.  38  shows  pattern  for  lower  ramp,  and  is  simply 
reversed  for  the  upper. 

These  examples  are  simple  and  ought  to  be  readily 
digested  by  any  workman  who  has  ever  had  the  least 
experience  in  stair-building.  The  young  student 
who  has  never  helped  to  build  a  stair  or  erect  a  hand- 
rail should  master  these  simple  problems  (on  paper) 
and  the  first  opportunity  that  offers  to  see  ?  flight  of 
stairs  and  handrail  set  up  he  should  embracl  il,  and 


34 


COMMON-SENSE   HANDRAILING 


^'1 


the   whole    mystery  <>f    li.iinliailiii^    will    disappear   at 
once. 

F'gs.  39,  40,  41  and  4J  n-prestiit  the  method  (if 
drawing  moulds  for  flij^hts  of  stairs  similar  to  l'\^.  7. 
Starting  with  winders  in  a  tjiiarter  circle,  I""if;.  3() 
shows  the  ground  ])lan  of  risers,  also  tangents  around 
center  line  of  rail,  and  their  development.     To  con- 


struct Fig.  39  draw  radius  from  center  A  to  joint  of 
rail  at  newel  B.  At  right  angles  to  AB  draw  BC. 
This  will  give  the  angle  of  tangents  on  ground  plan. 
In  wreaths  of  this  shape  the  tangent  BC  is  always 
level  so  as  to  give  a  plumb  joint  at  the  newel. 

Before  proceeding  further  with  Fig.  39  the  height 
must  be  obtained  by  drawing  Fig.  40;  this  is  done  in 
the  manner  explained  in  previous  examples,  viz.,  by 
setting  up  each  riser  and  obtaining  the  width  of  the 
treads  from  the  tangents  BCD,  where  the  risers  cut 
through.     To  develop  the  mould,  Fig.  39,  extend  BA 


FIRST    METHOD 


3S 


to  I  at  right  angles  to  BI,  and  from  joint  D  draw  DK. 
Make  IK  equal  to  Fig.  40.  Connect  BK  at  right  angles 
to  KB  and  draw  BL  and  KM.  BL  should  equal  BC,  as 
shown  by  the  arc,  and  KM  should  equal  ID.  Connect 
LM  and  the  angle  is  formed  for  the  mould.  The  dotted 
ordinates  give  the  springing  line  and  a  point  through 
which  to  bend  the  strips  to  obtain  the  curve.  The 
bevel  for  lower  joint  is  found  at  K.  To  obtain  the 
bevel  for  the  upper  joint  draw  a  line  from  K  parallel 
to  ML.  At  any  point  on  line  KB  describe  an  arc 
touching  the  line  drawn  from  K.  Draw  a  line  from 
center  of  arc  at  right  angles  to  KB,  and  cutting  KD  at 
O.  Connect  ON  and  the  bevci  is  found  at  N  tor  the 
upper  joint. 


Fig.  40  shows  the  application  of  bevels,  the  upper 
bevel  cuts  shown  through  from  the  outside  in  all  cases 
where  the  angle  BCD,  Fig.  39,  forms  an  acute  angle; 
when  the  angle  is  obtuse  the  bevel  is  api)licd  from 
the  inside,  the  lower  bevel  in  all  cases  remains  the 
same  in  application. 

Fig.  41  shows  the  ramp. 

There  seems  to  be  no  difficulty  presented  in  these 
problems  that  cannot  be  readily  overcome  if  the  stu- 
dent but  applies  himself  diligently.  W'r  vvnulH  sug- 
gest that  each   one  o£  these  figures  be  drawn  and 


36 


COMMON-SENSE   HANDRATLING 


redrawn,  until  the  student  has  become  so  tamiltar  with 
each  one  of  them  that  he  can  draw  them  from  memory 
alone.  Such  practice  will  not  make  very  serious 
inroads  on  his  time,  and  what  investments  in  time  are 
made  will,  in  the  not  very  distant  futurCi  retura  big 
interest. 


In  Fig.  42  we  represent  a  flight  of  stairs  with   four 
winders,  quarter  landing,  and  return  flyers. 


FIRST    METHOD 


37 


This  shows  the  ground  plans  of  cylinder,  with  risers 
cutting  the  tangent  around  the  center  line  of  rail;  also 
the  elevation  of  risers,  the  pitch-lines,  and  the 
development  of  the  tangents. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  upper  pitch-line  is  the 
same  as  that  of  the  return  flyers,  running  down  until  it 
meets  the  lower  pitch  at  A.  The  rail  is  lifted  higher 
than  usual  at  this  point,  but  this  is  a  defect  which 
will  not  detract  from  its  appearance,  and  makes  a 
much  better  wreath  than  is  drawn  with  a  ramp. 


Fig.  43  shows  the  face  mould  for  the  lower  wreath, 
and  Fig.  44  for  the  upper,  also  sections  of  rail  and 
applications  of  the  bevels. 

The  bevel  for  upper  wreath  is  found  at  B,  Fig.  42,  as 
shown  in  the  diagram,  and  is  the  same  for  both  joints. 


38  COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

The  bevels  for  lower  wreath  are  found  at  C  for  upper 
joint,  and  at  D,  Fig.  42,  for  the  lower  joint. 
The  plan  of  this  stair  for  which  the  rail  is  intended 


FIRST  METHOD 


39 


is  shown  at  Fig.  9,  which,  upon  examination,  will  be 
found  to  be  of  a  type  often  found  in  our  old  colonial 
building?. 

We  will  now  deal  with  a  flight  of  stairs  having  seven 
winders  forming  a  half  circle,  with  flyers  above  and 
below. 

Fig.  45  shows  the  ground  plan  and  elevation  of 
risers,  the  pitch  lines  and  development  of  tangents  for 
face  mould;  the  upper  and  lower  pitch  being  the 
same,  only  one 
face  mould  is 
required.  The 
mould  issimply 
reversed  in  ap- 
plication, as 
shown  in  Figs. 
46  and  47. 

Further  ex- 
planations of 
these  figures 
appear  unnecessary,  as  the  lines  and  applications  are 
similar  to  those  applied  in  previous  examples,  so  that 
a  reference  ti  previous  illustrations  and  the  descrip- 
tions and  explanations  attached  will  give  a  clear  insight 
into  the  method  of  lining  out  the  present  examples. 

The  next  examples  show  a  method  of  laying  down 
the  rail  for  a  flight  of  circular  stairs.  Fig.  48  shows 
the  plan  with  cylinder  and  risers  cutting  around  the 
center  of  rail  and  tangents.  The  joints  are  located  at 
A,  B,  C  and  D,  making  four  pieces;  the  two  wreaths 
from  A  to  C  are  alike,  and  only  one  mould  is 
required. 

The  rail  is  in  one  pitch  from  E  to  A.  Fig.  49 
shows  the  elevation  of  steps  and  risers  for  first  wreath, 


n 


40         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

and  Fig.  50  the  landing  wreath;   these  are  drawn  in 
the  manner  as  shown  in  previous  examples,  making 


the  width  C*  treads  to  correspond  with  the  points 
where  the  risers  cut  the  tangents  in  Fig.  48.  These 
elevations  also  give  the  exact  height  as  shown;  the  first 
wreath  in  Fig.  49  is  lifted  for  the  newel,  and  the  land- 
Jng  wT-eath  in  Fig.  4S  runs  half  a  rise  above  the  floor. 
The  wreaths  AB  and  BC  simply  rise  from  risers, 


M 


FIRST    METHOD 


41 


and  are  drawn  as  shown  in  Fig.  48.  Figs.  50,  51  and  53 
bhow  the  face  moulds  and  application  of  the  bevels,  in 
the  same  manner  as  explained  in  previous  illustrations. 


4i  COMMON-SENSE    HANDRAILING 

\\i'  have  now  completed  the  treatise  as  first 
intemled.  ami  have  shown  how  handrails  hmv  |,e  l.ijd 
out  and  made  for  eleven  different  styles  of  stairs,  and 
from  the  rules  given  the  student  should  be  able  to  lay 
out  a  rail  for  .dmost  any  kind  of  rail  he;  may  !)<•  call.d 
upon  to  construct.  The  principles  involved  in  this 
method  of  handrailing  are  well  deseribed  in  the  <Mrlier 
part  of  this  work,  and  wi'  would  advise  fh(  young 
reader  to  agiin  and  a;,Min  ,-o  over  liiem,  and  produce 
the  lines  on  a  good-si/e.l  .IrauinK^  '"'.H'l  until  he 
becomes  familiar  witli  the  i.ietliods. 

We  have  already  j,dv(ii  iiia-rain<  of  Uw  .leven  kinds 
of  stairs,  antl  haw  now  shown  Imu  1. mdrails  may  be 
built  over  them,  ami  it  is  t..  l.e  jioped  these  efforts 
have  not  been  in  vain,  but  h.ive  been  clos.lv  followed 
with  profit  to  the  student. 

^ome  of  the  lettering  in  thicuts  does  not  show  up  as 
well  as  would  be  liked,  but  the  points  referred  to  in  the 
descriptions  given  may  reatliiy  be  found,  particularly, 
if  'he  student  enlarges  the  dia-r,„-,s  to  full  working 
size— which  he  should  do,  when  working  out  the  prob- 
lems. 


BND   OF    FIKST    MBTUQO 


jjL 


It 

St 


SECOND    METHOD 


The  method  nl  laying  out  liaiulrails  shown  in  this 
section  (iiffcrs  somewhat  from  the  method  shown  in 
the  p.evious  section,  and  has  some  advantages  the 
former  does  not  possess.  As  this  little  book,  how- 
ever, is  intended  for  ins.triiction  and  not  to  advance 
the  interest  of  any  particular  method,  the  editor  and 
compiler  has  thought  fit  to  present  to  the  reader  several 
methods— all  of  them  of  the  simplest  sort— in  order 
that  he  may  find  something  he  can  utilize  in  each  and 
all  of  thorn. 

Before  building  a  handrail  it  is  quite  necessary  to 
have  tht-  stairs,  and  as  the  "handrailer"  Is  supposed  to 
know  how  to  constru.:t  the  body  of  the  stairs,  we  shall 
content  ourselves  with  making  a  few  remarks  concern- 
ing the  height  of  riser  and  width  of  tread. 

After  determining  the  height  of  the  riser  from  the 
"story  rod,"  the  right  proportion  of  tread  must  be 
found.  Sometimes  steps  are  arranged  so  that  it  is 
easier  for  a  man  to  go  up  "two  at  a  time"  than  to  walk 
up  in  the  proper  manner.  The  reason  is  both  tread 
and  riser  are  made  small.  When  a  riser  is  reduced 
th.'  tread  must  be  increased;  and  the  contrary,  when 
i\w-  riser  is  increased,  the  tread  must  be  reduced  in 
width.  Joiners  do  not  often  break  this  rule,  but 
masons  very  often  do,  notably  in  steps  leading  to  and 
from  railway  stations.  A  simple  rule  may  be  given 
for  finding  a  suitable  proportion. 

Take  any  suitable  step  as  a  standard  step,  that  is  to 

*3 


:;>,-. 


'l^-QfSiK^'^>!frf" 


i 


I 


I 


I  p 

if 


COMMON-SENSE    HANDRAILING 

say,  if  you  know  of  a  staircase  which  is  comfortable 
and  easy  to  walk  up,  take  it  as  a  standard  to  gauge 
others  by.  Suppose  you  have  a  riser  given,  and 
require  the  width  of  a  suitable  tread,  make  use  of  the 
following  proportion; 

As  the  given  riser  :  standard  riser  ::  standard  tread  : 
required  tread  : 
If  the  tread  is  given  and  the  riser  required,  then: 
As  the  given  tread  :  standard  tread  ::  standard  riser  : 
required  riser. 

To  work  out  an  example  suppose  lo-inch  tread 
and  7-inch  riser  be  taken  as  a  suitable  step.  Let  6  inches 
be  the  given  riser;  then  by  substituting  the  value  of 
treads  and  risers  fc-  the  names  we  have,  as  6"  :  7"  ::  ro"  : 
the  required  tread.  This  gives  V  or  ii|"  for  the  size 
of  a  tread.  Nicholson  gives  as  a  standard  a  tread  of  12" 
to  a  riser  of  5J".  Working  out  the  example  given  by 
this  proportion  we  get  11  instead  of  ii§";  either  of 
these  sizes  will  be  an  agreeable  step. 

A  rough  and  ready  rule  for  the  usual  sizes  of  treads 
and  risers  is  to  make  2  risers  and  I  tr^ad  equal  to  24 
inches. 

Before  going  into  the  working  part  of  stair-building 
it  must  be  understood  that  great  care  ought  to  be 
taken  in  placing  the  staircase  in  any  building,  and, 
therefore,  staircases  ought  to  be  described  and 
accounted  foi  justly,  when  the  plans  of  a  building  are 
made,  and  for  the  want  of  this,  sometimes  unpardon- 
able errors  are  made— such  as  having  a  little  blind 
staircase  in  a  large  house,  and  on  the  other  hand  a 
large  and  spacious  staircase  i-  a  small  house.  In  plac- 
ing staircases  the  utmost  care  ought  to  be  taken,  it 
being  a  difficulty  to  find  a  place  convenient  for  them, 
that  will  not  at  the  same  time  prejudice  the  rest  of  the 


SECOND  METHOD 


45 


building.      Commonly   the    stairs   are    placed    in    an 
angle,  wing,  or  middle  of  the  front.     la  every  stair- 
case openings  are  required— first,  the  opening  leading 
thereto;    second,   the  window   or  windows   that  may 
give  light  to  them;  third,  their  landings.     First,  the 
opening  leading  to  the  staircase  should  be  so  placed 
that  most  of  the  building  may  be  seen  before  coming 
to  the  stairs,  and  in  such  a  manner  that  it  may  be  easy 
for  any  person  to   find  them.     Second,    the   window 
must    be   placed    in   the    middle   of    them,    whereby 
the   whole    of    the    stairs    may   be    lighted.      Third, 
that    the    landing    should    be    large     and    spacious 
for  the  convenient  entering  of  the  rooms— in  a  word, 
staircases    should    be    spacious,    light,   and    easy  to 
ascend.     The  height  of  risers  should  be  from  6  to  7 
inches,  the  breadth  of  tread  not  less  than  9  inches,  and 
the  length  about  3  feet— the  rule  laid  down  for  the 
height  and  breadth  of  steps.     Workmen  are,  however, 
not   to  be  so  strictly  tied  to  those  rules,   as   shown 
above,    as    not    to    vary    in    the    least    from    them. 
They  must  endeavor  to  make  all  the  steps  of  the  same 
staircase  of  an  equal  height  and  breadth.     To  do  this 
they  must  first  consider  the  height  of  the  room,  and 
also  the  width  or  compass  they  have  to  carry  up  their 
stairs.     To  find  the  height  of  each  step  they  ought  first 
to  propose  the  height  of  each  step,  and  by  that  pro- 
posed height  divide  the  whole  height  of  the  room, 
which  done,   the  quotient   will   show   the   number  of 
steps.     If  there  is  a  remainder,  then  take  the  quotient 
for  the  number  of  steps,  and  by  the  number  divide  the 
whole  height  of  tue  room,  and  the  quotient  will  be 
the  exact  height  of  each  step. 

Example:     Suppose  the  height  of  the  room  is  9  feet 
3  inches,  and  you  propose  your  riser  to  be  about  6 


46  COMMON-SENSE    HANDRAILING 


m 


i 


inches;  bring  the  height  of  your  room  into  inches  and 
divide  by  6  inches.  You  have  i8  steps  and  3  inches 
over,  therefore,  take  18  for  the  number  of  steps  and  by 
it  divide  3  inches.  The  quotient  will  be  6tV,  or  6^, 
which  must  be  the  exact  height  of  each  riser.  You 
find  the  breadth  of  steps  in  a  like  manner. 

Having  determined  the  height  and  breadth  of  your 
"teps  you  then  make  a  pitch-board  which  is  a  triangle 
of  unequal  sides,  one  being  equal  to  the  breadth  of 
step,  the  other  equal  to  the  height,  thus  giving  the 
rake  of  stair. 


Fig.Z 


Fig.  I  (diagram  A)  is  the 
pitch-board.  Fig.  2  is  a 
templet  about  18  inches 
long,  2]  wide, which  is  used 
to  form  a  stop  or  gauge 
for  the  pitch-board  when 
you  are  setting  up  your 
steps.  Fig.  3  shows  the  templet  and  pitch-board  ap- 
plied to  plank  intended  for  the  wall  string. 

In  the  formation  of  winding  stairs  much  care  must 
be  exercised  in  laying  them  out.  The  following  dia- 
grams show  a  stair  with  six  flyers  and  six  winders,  with 
instructions  to  lay  out  and  set  up  the  strings. 

It  must  always  be  understood  that  you  must  lay 
down  a  plan  of  your  winders,  the  full  size  the  pitch- 
board  will  give  the  flyers.  Diagram  B  is  plan  of 
winders.  Fig.  i  is  the  first  wall  string.  Set  up  the 
first  three  steps  with  your  pitch-board,  then  set  up  one 
riser;  take  the  width  of  first  winder  on  plan  and  mark 
it  on  the  string  square  with  the  :iser;  then  set  up 
another  riser  and  take  the  width  of  your  other  w'nder 
up  to  the  angle,  and  mark  that  t!v  same  way.  This 
angle  winder  i»  called  the  kite  winaer.     You  must  then 


famm 


■St' 


■:A 

at 


SECOND  METHOD 


47 


allow  the  string  about  J  of  an  inch  longer  for  a  tongue 
to  go  into  the  cross-string;  then  cut  the  string  off  at 
right  angles  with  the  step  and  allow  about  6  inches 
from  the  step  upward  to  form  the  top  easing  to  carry 


out  the  winder.  You  will  see  that  a  piece  must  be 
glued  on  the  under  side  of  string.  I  have  shown  aas- 
•ng  at  top,  and  also  shown  ramp  at  bottom  to  receive 
base,  etc. 

Fig.  2  is  the  cross-string.  Always  glue  up  cross- 
strmg  tor  stairs  of  this  description  14  inches  wide,  and 
then  make  a  line,  AB;  from  that  line  square  off  the 
end  of  string.     There  is  no  particular  rake  for  the  line. 

trom  the  Jiae  y«u  must  set  in  the  thickness  of  the 


■WWr 


saas®»^^SPS«^  :4:^.v ,.--  y 


l=i:Si     fr-  '*^ 


48  COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

risers  and  treads  as  shown  in  Fig   i,  then  set  in  the 
other  halt  of  kite  winder,  then  set  up  a  riser  square 
with  the  winder,  set  up  the  other  winders  and  the  half 
winder  square  with  the  end;  then  allow  for  tongue, 
etc.     There  will  be  enough  stuff  to  form  all  easements. 
Fig   3  shows  the  other  wall  string  having  half   a 
winder  and  a  whole  winder  and  three  flyers,  and  risers 
that  carry  up  to  the  landing.     The  string  will  be  set  out 
similar  to  the  first,  only  the  up-risers  must  not  be  for- 
gotten.    Groove  the  winder  end  of  the  string  to  receive 
tongue  of  cross-string;  also  glue  a  piece  of  stuff  on  to 
carry  out  the  winder  and  form  the  easements.     When 
setting  out  strings  the  pitch-board  is  the  face  of  riser 
and  top  of  tread,  so  allow  for  thickness  of  riser  tn,  and 
thickness  of  tread  down,  and  a  little  more  for  wedging 
as  shown.     C  shows  the  tongues  and  grooves,  F  the 
wedging.     The  general  depth  for  "housing"  or  groov- 
ing is  half  an  inch.     In  all  cases  use  glue  up  the  joints. 
In  Fig.  I  the  string  is  not  shown  finished,  but  this 
is  done  in  Fig.  3.     The  strings  are  prepared  first  as  in 
Fig.  I,  and  after  the  steps  are  glued  up,  rounded,  and 
the  cove  worked  on  them,  mortises  are  made  for  them 
in  the  string  as  shown  at  Fig.  3. 

"There  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun,"  said  the  wise 
king  of  old— not  even  in  handrailing,  though  much 
has  been  written  on  the  subject  since  the  celebrated 
Peter  Nicholson  pointed  out  the  true  theory  of  laying 
out  this  sort  of  work;  yet,  notwithstanding  all  the 
knowledge  acquired  since  Peter  Nicholson  wrote,  the 
art  of  handrailing  has  been  a  sealed  book  to  nine- 
tenths  of  otherwise  good  joiners,  and  to-day  it  is  often 
difficult  to  find  a  man  who  is  not  a  professional  hand- 
railcr,  who  is  willing  to  smdertake  the  building  of  a 
rail  over  a  circular  staircase.    This  distrust,  or  per- 


^.S)WS2*^ 


.^9¥m^.i^^wm§^-^b<msm  -j^i 


SECOND  METHOD 


49 


-% 


haps  lack  of  knowledge,  exists  even  among  the  best  and 
most  competent  workmen,  and  is  a  great  retarding 
factor  which  ought  not  to  exist. 

In  order  to  assist  those  who  are  desirous  of  studying 
this  beautiful  art  I  will  submit  such  problems  and 
their  solutions  as  I  may  think  will  be  of  the  greatest 
service,  and  which  I  may  be  able  to  select  from  the 
material  at  my  disposal. 

The  proper  construction  of  stairs  is  an  all-impcrtant 
part  of  house-building  to  both  architects  and  owners, 
as,  their  d<*  'ly  and  hourly  use  affords  comfort  and  ease, 
or  tires  and  distresses,  as  the  case  may  be,  according 
to  the  accuracy  with  which  the  true  principle  of  stair- 
building  is  observed.  Strength  and  solidity  are  also 
important  factors,  especially  in  stairs  subjected  to 
severe  usage  in  the  passage  of  safes,  heavy  trunks  and 
weighty  packages,  as  in  cases  like  that  in  France, 
where,  by  the  falling  of  a  stone  staircase  a  short  time 
ago,  the  lives  of  scores  of  unsuspecting  people  were 
destroyed  and  a  large  number  maimed  and  crippled 
for  life  as  a  result  of  a  defective  construction  and  the 
overconfidence  of  a  thousand  human  beings  who 
risked  their  lives  upon  a  thing  of  beauty  which  col- 
lapsed from  overloading. 

I  think  there  are  not  more  than  three  flights  of  stairs 
of  similar  construction  to  that  just  alluded  to  in  the 
United  States,  the  most  notable  and  prominent  of 
which  is  in  the  State  House  at  Columbus,  Ohio.  Such 
stairs  are  supposed  to  be  self-supporting,  the  wide 
ends  of  the  steps  being  inserted  in  the  walls  of  the 
stairway,  and  the  cylinder  ends  of  intermediate  parts 
lapped  and  cut,  locking  the  respective  steps  together, 
so  as  to  provide  a  continuous  strength  to  tb<;  ^tirc 
construction. 


so  COMMON-SENSE   HANDRAILING 

The  following  diagram  C  shows  a  very  easy  way  of 
getting  out  stair-rails  over  cylinders,  l-i-i  being  the 
face  of  cylinder,  2  the  center  of  baluster  from  which 
the  tangents  must  be  derived,  and  is,  in  fact,  one  of 
the  most  important  points  in  the  ground  plan,  for  the 
reason  that  the  rail  is  supported  all  around  the  cylin- 
der on  the  top  and  center  of  the  balusters. 


DIAGRAM    C.       A    RAIL   AROUND   A   CYLINDER 

Commence  by  making  the  tangent  as  shown;  place 
half  of  the  rail  each  side  of  2-3-3;  draw  level  tangent 
right  and  left  indifferently;    take  the  compass,  stand 


^^^ 


SECOND   METHOD 


5« 


\ 


if 


on  left,  describe  a  curve  from  the  spring  line  at  2,  to 
cut  level  tangent  at  5;   do  the  same  on  opposite  side. 

The  tangent  being  unfolded,  set  up  the  highest— say 
from  4  to  6  on  the  left;  connect  6  and  5,  which  will 
give  the  tangent  in  the  pitch;  square  oui  from  6  to  8, 
and  stand  compass  in  6;  open  to  7,  the  center  of 
cylinder;  draw  curve,  cutting  at  8;  continue  line  8 
to  9,  parallel  with  pitch  6-5;  8-9  then  becomes  the 
place  of  the  elliptic  curve  covering  the  pitch.  The 
breadth  of  rail  in  pitch  is  next  to  be  found,  as  shown 
by  the  illustration,  carried  up  from  3-8,  cutting  pitch- 
line. 

Now  to  find  the  pin  points  to  draw  the  elliptic  curve, 
take  the  semi  of  the  major  axis  (or  half  the  length) 
from  9  to  ID,  place  the  compass  in  12,  and  cut  the 
major  axis  at  XX,— XX  being  pin  points  for  the  out- 
side curves. 

Take  the  distance  9-1 1  in  compass  and  stand  in  13 
and  cut  0-0  on  the  major  axis,  which  are  the  points  to 
draw  the  inside  curves  by.  The  bevels  are  shown  and 
how  applied  on  the  face  of  the  moulds. 

The  cutting  and  standing  up  is  explained  as  follows: 
Cut  on  line  from  4  to  5  on  either  side,  and  from  5  to 
13;  from  13  to  points  marked  V,  V,  V;  from  V  to  6; 
from  6  to  points  marked  V',V',V',  V'.V'.V'.V;  from  V 
to  5;  hinge  on  lines  so  marked  and  stand  in  place. 

This  is  a  very  simple  solution  of  what  often  con- 
fronts the  young  workman  when  building  his  first 
handrail.  This,  of  course,  is  intended  for  straight 
stair  having  a  small  well  hole  and  landing  on  a  level 
floor. 

Problem. — To  obtain  a  wreath  for  half-space  land- 
ing; When  the  distance  ht^tween  the  centers  of  rails 
is  equal  tu,  or  more  than,  the  width  of  a  step,  and 


i. 


-%\ 


i  J 


\ls 


5a  COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILINO 

the  risers  placed  half  a  step  from  the  center  of  rail  at 
the  crown  of  well,  the  wreaths  for  this  class  of  stair- 
cases are  of  the  simplest  kind,  being  beveled  at  one 
end  only,  as  the  tangent  line  across  the  back  of  the 


.'ii  1 


li 


UlACiKAM    D.       HALF-SPACE   RAILING 

well  is  a  straight  level  line.  Fig.  I,  diagram  D, 
shows  a  large  well  with  the  risers  2  and  3  placed  half  a 
step  from  B  and  C,  these  four  steps  arc  shown  ia 
section  at   Fig.  2.     Draw  the  center  lines  of  rails  I, 


SECOND  METHOD 


S3 


2,  3  and  4,  and  they  will  meet  at  A,  which  is  over  A,  at 
Fig.  i;  or  the  risers  at  Fig.  i  may  be  irj  any  position, 
so  that  2B  added  to  3C  equals  the  width  of  a  step;  if 
the  distance  between  the  center  of  rails  is  equal  to  a 
tread  the  risers  2  and  3  would,  of  course,  be  at  the 
spring  line.  At  Fig.  6  is  shown  a  wide  well  with  the 
risers  2  and  3  half  a  step  from  B  and  C,  with  the  radius 
of  center  line  of  rail  equal  to  half  a  step  as  2F,  or 
more  than  half  a  step  as  GE.  The  wreaths  may  be 
jointed  at  A,  the  face  moulds  for  these  wreaths  would 
be  drawn  as  at  Fig.  3,  and  the  straight  length  AE  or 
AD  at  Fig.  6  drawn  square  from  E  and  F  at  Fig.  3, 
and  worked  to  the  bevel  at  Fig.  5  and  out  of  the 
same  thickness  of  plank.  The  center  of  the  rail  on 
the  landing  would  be  equal  to  half  a  riser  higher  than 
the  center  of  the  rail  plumb  with  the  risers.  The 
wreath  at  the  start  of  stairs  from  a  landing  is  drawn 
as  at  Fig.  3,  and  then  turned  the  other  side  up.  Fig. 
3:  Mark  the  plan  of  wreath  and  the  center  line,  EC; 
draw  the  lines  AB  and  AC  square  to  each  other;  draw 
AD  with  the  pitch-board;  draw  ordinates  i,  2,  3  at  any 
distance  apart  parallel  to  AC;  draw  the  perpendicular 
lines,  I,  4;  draw  the  lines  4,  5,  6  square  to  AD;  apply 
the  lengths,  i,  2,  3,  to  4,  5,  6,  and  draw  the  face 
mould  through  the  points  5,  6;  make  the  shank,  JG, 
about  9  inches  long  parallel  to  AD.  Fig.  4:  Draw  HI 
equal  in  length  to  outside  the  plan  of  rail,  HI,  at  Fig. 
3;  make  ID  equal  to  BD,  at  Fig.  3;  make  BD  and 
HA  each  half  the  thickness  of  rail  square  to  the  pitch; 
draw  AC  with  the  pitch-board,  and  draw  BC  parallel 
to  HI;  divide  AC  and  CB  into  the  same  number  of 
equal  parts,  and  join  the  points  1,1  and  2,  2,  etc.,  which 
will  give  the  top  curve,  and  gauge  the  thickness  of  rail 
from  the  top  curve. 


54 


COMMON-SENSE   HANDRAILING 


I  ■   ; 


To  square  the  wreaths:  First,  cut  them  out  square 
and  joint  the  ends  square.  Second,  center  the  joinis, 
apply  the  bevel  IFE  at  Fig.  3  (which  is  set  to  the  top 
corner  of  the  pitch-board),  through  the  center  of  the 
top  joint,  and  mark  the  square  section  of  rail,  as  at 
Fig.  5.  Third,  apply  the  face  mould  on  the  top  of  the 
wreath  and  slide  it  up  the  shank  until  E,  at  Fig.  3, 
comes  to  E,  at  Fig.  5,  and  mark  it;  apply  the  mould 
on  the  under  side  until  F,  at  Fig.  3,  comes  to  F,  at 
Fig.  5,  and  mark  it.  Fourth,  set  a  pair  of  calipers  to 
the  width  of  the  rail,  and  move  one  arm  along  the 
mark  made  by  the  face  mould  on  the  under  side  of 
wreath,  and  the  other  arm  will  mark,  very  nearly, 
what  to  take  from  the  inside  as  at  A,  A,  A,  Fig.  5,  and 
cut  it  out  with  a  band  saw;  then  gauge  the  outside 
from  the  inside  with  the  calipers.  Next  work  the 
top,  gauge  an  equal  portion  of  the  top  and  bottom  of 
the  shank,  as  at  Fig.  5,  and  lap  Fig.  4,  falling  mould 
around  the  outside;  place  the  shank  in  the  bank,  screw 
up  to  the  right  pitch  and  work  the  top  level  across  in  a 
direction  toward  the  center  of  the  well  around  the 
curve;  apply  a  square  to  the  top  with  the  stock  plumb 
on  the  inside.  Gauge  the  bottom  from  the  top.  The 
top  wreath  is  worked  to  the  same  hand  and  turned 
over  before  doweling  or  moulding.  To  joint  the 
straight  rails  apply  the  length  IG,  at  Fig.  3,  from  C 
and  D  at  the  spring  line  of  well,  at  Fig.  2,  to  B  and  E. 

Problem. — To  obtain  a  wreath  for  a  quarter-space 
landing:  For  small  wells  with  the  riser,  A  and  B, 
less  than  half  a  step  from  the  point  C,  where  the 
space  for  the  steps  is  confined  for  room. 

Fig.  1,  diagram  E,  shows  the  center  line  of  ra..  and 
the  plan  of  stairs. 

Fig.  2:    Draw  the  tread,  DE,  and  riser,  EA;  make 


SECOND  METHOD 


5S 


ACB  equal  to  ACB,  at  Fig.  I ;  draw  the  riser,  BF,  the 
tread,  FG,  and  the  riser,  GH;  draw  DA  and  CM;  draw 
HF  to  M;  draw  MJ  so  that  the  part  LJ  will  measure  5 
inches;  mark  the  joint,  K,  2  inches  from  L;  make  J I 
equal  to  JK,  from  I  to  K  draw  the  dotted  lines  square 
to  IJ  and  JK,  a.iH  from  the  point  where  they  intersect 


DIAGRAM   E.       aUARTER-SPACE   RAILING 


describe  the  easing;   joint  the  top  rail  square  at  D 
about  4  inches  from  F;  draw  LNO. 

Fig,  3;  Mark  the  quadrant  and  the  center  line,  BC; 
draw  the  square,  ABCD;  set  up  BE  and  BF  equal  to 
NM  and  CF,  Fig.  2;   draw  AE,  and  draw   FG  parallel 


I 


I 


i     ^1 


56 


COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 


to  AE;  draw  AH  square  to  AK  from  G.  With  the 
length,  GC,  cut  the  line  at  H,  and  draw  GH. 

Draw  ordinates  I,  2,  3  parallel  to  GC;  draw  the  per- 
pendicular lines  I,  4,  and  the  lines  4,  5,  6  parallel  to 
G  II;  apply  ID  from  J  to  K,  and  draw  the  tangents 
HK  and  KF;  make  HO  and  EP  equal  to  LK  and  FP, 
Fig.  2;  make  the  joints  square  to  the  tangents. 

Apply  the  leogths,  i,  2,  3  to  4,  5,  6,  and  draw  the 
face  mould  through  the  points  5,  6;  draw  the  line 
4HQ;  make  HQ  equal  H5,  and  from  Q5U  and  R  draw 
the  shanks  parallel  to  the  tangents;  continue  GC  and 
BD  to  meet  at  Y;  from  B  describe  the  arcs  LN;  draw 


T^^=^^^=m 


DIAGRAM    F.       FOR   ANY   SIZE    CYLINDER 

NY,  and  BNY  is  the  bevel  for  the  bottom  end;  make 
BM  equal  BF;  draw  MY;  from  B  describe  the  arc, 
WV;  draw  VG,  and  BVG  is  the  bevel  for  the  top  end. 


SECOND  METHOD 


57 


Cut  the  wreath  out  square  to  the  plank  and  a  little 
full  in  the  narrow  part.  Apply  the  mould  and  square 
up  'he  wreath,  taking  an  equal  portion  off  the  top  and 
bottom,  both  inside  and  outside  the  wreath  at  the  line 
ST.  Fig.  3. 

Fig.  I,  diagram  F,  snows  a  better  plan  of  stairs  for 
a  large  well  than  Fig.  4,  as  there  arc  tzvo  balusters  on 
the  landing,  the  same  distance  to  the  centers  as  those 
on  the  steps,  the  wall  bracket  and  nosing  are  much 
larger,  and  the  steps  are  not  so  confined  at  the  well 
end.  By  this  method  the  easing  on  the  straight  rail 
for  small  wells,  where  the  radius  of  center  line  of  rail 
is  less  than  half  a  step  (as  in  the  last  diagram),  is  dis- 
pensed with. 

Fig.  2:  Draw  DEF  equal  to  DEA,  Fig.  i;  draw  FA, 
a  riser;  draw  ABC  equal  to  ACB,  Fig.  i;  draw 
the  riser,  BG,  the  tread,  GH,  and  the  riser,  HI;  draw 
DA  and  GI.  Joint  the  straight  rails  square  at  K  and 
L  about  4  inches  from  J  and  G;  draw  the  falling  line, 
KL;  draw  EN;  draw  NO  parallel  to  AB;  draw  KQ 
square  to  AK,  and  equal  to  half  the  bevel  line,  NC,  at 
Fig.  4. 

Fig.  3:  Mark  the  quadrant  and  the  center  line,  BC; 
draw  the  square,  ABCD;  set  up  BE  equal  to  OM.  Fig. 
2;  make  AG  equal  to  AC;  draw  EG  and  GC;  draw  AH 
square  to  GE  from  G.  With  length,  GC,  cut  the  line  at 
H,  and  draw  GH;  draw  the  ordinates  I,  2,  3  parallel 
to  GC;  draw  the  perpendicular  lines,  I,  4;  and  draw 
the  lines  4,  5,  6  parallel  to  GH. 

Apply  AD  from  I  to  J,  and  draw  the  tanget^s,  JH 
and  JE;  mark  A  to  P,  a  riser,  and  PM,  a  tread;  draw 
MA;  draw  AO  square  to  MA;  draw  OH;  continue  the 
lines  HO  and  JI  to  meet  at  R,  and  draw  RE;  make 
HF  and  EK  equal  NK  or  ML,  Fig.  2;  draw  th.  joint 


tm 


K\ 


t  i 


58 


COMMON-SENSE   HANDRAILING 


F  parallel  to  HR,  and  the  joint  K  parallel  to  RE; 
apply  the  lengths  I,  2,  3  to  4,  5,  6,  and  draw  the  face 
mould  through  the  points  5,  6;  from  A  describe  the 
arc,  LN;  draw  NC,  and  ANC  is  the  bevel  for  both 
ends. 

Cut  the  wreath  out  square  to  the  plank  and  a  little 
full  in  the  narrow  part;  cut  the  joints  at  first  square  to 
the  plank  and  the  length,  PQ,  Fig.  2,  longer  at  botk 
ends  than  the  mould;  apply  the  bevels  and  the  mould, 
and  work  the  inside  and  outside  of  the  wreath  as 
described  previously.  Now  cut  the  bottom  joint  to 
the  bevel  NKQ,  Fig.  2,  applied  to  the  beveled  sides  of 
the  wreath,  with  the  bevel  stock  held  parallel  to  the 
tangents  on  the  wreath  and  apply  the  same. 


s^ 


•,t 


••s 


THIRD   METHOD 


This  method  is  one  much  used  by  English  and  Ger- 
man handrailers  in  Europe,  and  as  it  is  based  on  the 
system  formulated  by  the  late  Robert  Riddell,  it  is 
also  practiced  hy  many  handrailers  in  America.  The 
system  has  been  very  much  improved  and  simplified 
by  Mr.  John  Wilson,  and  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
additions  and  corrections  it  is  his  version  of  the  sys- 
tem that  is  herewith  reproduced,  and  I  am  sure  the 
student  will  find  the  ma^^ter  as  set  forth  in  these  pages 
clear  and  easy  to  unc  stand,  as  everything  of  an 
abstruse  character  has  been  eliminated. 

The  upper  portion  of  the  fence  tormed  on  the  out- 
side of  the  stairs  is  the  handrail,  to  assist  in  ascent  and 
descent  of  the  stairs,  and  also  for  protection.  It  is  evi- 
dent that  the  rail  should  follow  the  line  of  nosings  and 
at  a  height  of  2'  9"  to  the  top  side  of  the  rail  from  the 
tread  at  the  nosing,  measured  perpendicularly  in  line 
with  the  face  of  the  riser. 

In  the  construction  of  handrails  the  chief  difficulty 
is  in  the  wreaths,  where  the  rail  is  of  double  curvature. 
Simple  curves  in  either  plan  or  elevation  will  cause  no 
difficulty. 

Fig.  I  shows  the  plan  of  a  rail  for  a  level  landing 
stairs  with  the  risers  landing  and  starting  in  the  spring- 
ing, the  radius  of  the  center  line  of  rail  half  the  width 
of  tread. 

Having  the  plan  and  center  line  drawn,  the  wreath 
being  in  two  pieces  and  one  face  mould  answering  for 

S9 


1    « 


It 


60  COMMON.SENS3  HANDRAILING 

both  pieces,  to  draw  the  face  mould.     First  draw  the 
joint  line  CD,  Fig.  i,  then  draw  the  tangent  lines,  AB 


Jotnr^ 


being  the  center    line  produced,   and    BD  at  rijfht 
angles  with  the  joint  line.    AB  being  equal  to  half  the 


THIRD   METHOD 


6i 


width  of  tread,  the  rail  in  coming  up  over  this  distance 
would  rise  the  height  of  half  a  riser,  causing  the  line 
BD  to  be  horizontal;  where  one  of  the  tangent  lines  h 
horizontal  it  is  at  once  used  as  the  directing  ordinate. 
Then  produce  BD,  and  parallel  with  it  draw  lines  from 
each  side  of  the  rail  at  D;  and  from  the  springing  at 
A  draw  XY  at  right  angles  to  BC,  and  place  the  pitch- 
board  as  shown  against  the  riser  line.  Draw  the  under 
side  of  rail,  set  off  half  the  depth  of  rail  and  draw  the 
center  line.  Where  it  cuts  the  line  from  BD,  will  be  the 
center  of  the  section  on  the  landing.  Draw  the  section 
as  shown  and  through  the  top  corner  draw  VT.  From 
where  the  lines  projected  from  the  plan  cut  this  line. 
Draw  lines  at  right  angles.  On  each  of  these  lines  mark 
off  the  corresponding  distances  in  plan,  measuring 
from  XY.  Through  the  points  draw  A'B',  CD',  and 
A'C,  B'D';  CD*  is  the  major  axis  line,  and  A'C  the 
minor.  The  lines  on  each  side  of  D'  give  the  semi-major 
axis  for  the  inside  and  outside  curves  for  the  mould, 
and  on  the  minor  the  width  of  mould  is  the  same  as  in 
the  plan. 

Draw  the  curves  with  trammel  or  string  and  pins. 
The  shank  may  be  made  any  convenient  length. 

Referring  to  the  section  at  the  line  VT  it  will  be 
seen  that  if  the  arrises  of  the  rail  were  required,  the 
dotted  line  through  the  bottom  corner  would  give  the 
least  thickness  that  the  rail  could  be  got  out  of,  and 
the  dotted  lines  at  right  angles  to  VT  the  width  at  the 
wide  end.  It  will  be  seen  that  if  the  rail  has  to  be  got 
out  of  this  thickness  of  stuff  to  keep  the  proper  height, 
a  slab  will  have  to  come  off  both  top  and  bottom  sides 
of  the  shank. 

Fig.  2:  Having  cut  the  wreath  out  square  to  the 
•ize  of  face  mould,  allowing  extra  width  at  the  wide 


fl 


^^i' 


63  COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 


|i 


u 


end    if   required,   the    piece   is   planed   true   and   the 
mould  applied,   and  the  tangent   lines   drawn   on    as 

shown  by  the  dotted 
lines.  The  joints  are 
made  square  to  these 
lines.  Mark  the  cen- 
ter of  the  piece  at 
each  end.  With  a 
bevel  set  to  the  long 
edge  and  riser  side 
of  the  pitch-board, 
draw  theline  through 
ihe  center  square  over  a  11'. "  on  each  face  from  this  line 
as  shown.  This  gives  the  new  tangent  lines  and  the 
distance  the  mould  has  to  slide.  The  tangent  lines  on 
the  face  mould  are  held  to  these  lines.  Then  mark  for 
the  stuff  to  be  cut  off,  apply  the  mould  on  the  other 
side  and  tack  it  on,  working  off  the  superfluous  stuff  to 
the  lines  and  edge  of  the  mould. 

The  figure  represents  the  wreath  worked  into 
cylindrical  form  and  ready  for  squaring,  and  the 
shaded  portions  show  the  slabs  that  have  to  come  off. 
In  practice  this  wreath  is  not  easy  to  mould,  owing  to 
the  rise  beyond  the  springing  on  the  inside. 

Fig.  3  shows  a  better  wreath.  Draw  the  square  sec- 
tion of  the  rail,  and  through  the  top  corner  draw  the 
top  side  of  rail  for  the  lower  portion,  and  through  the 
bottom  corner  draw  the  unJer  side  of  the  top  portion. 
Draw  lines  to  the  depth  of  the  rail,  and  from  the  inter- 
section of  the  two  under  sides,  draw  the  horizontal 
line,  and  mark  half  the  width  of  tread  on  it,  measur- 
ing from  the  intersection.  Through  the  point  draw 
the  perpendicular  which  gives  the  position  of  the 
risers'  landing  and  starting;  in  this  case  they  are  in  the 


THIRD   METHOD 


springing  of  the 
well.  Project  lines 
drawn  from  the 
springing  and  the 
section  to  com- 
plete the  plan. 
The  face  mould  is 
drawn  the  same  ai 
Fig.  I. 


.s. 


A\ 


COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILINQ 


I 


Fig.  4  shows  the  wreath  piece  cut  out  and  worked 
into  cylindrical  form  ready  for  squaring-,  the  face 
mould  being  applied  the  same  as  in  Fig.  2.  The  face 
mould  gives  the  line  for  squaring  the  top  off,  and  a 
better  curve  is  obtained.     It  will  be  seen  at  Fig,  3  that 


THIRD  METHOD 


the  shank  is  not  in  the  center  of  the  stuff.    The  shaded 
portion  shows  the  slab  to  come  off  one  side. 

Fig.  5  shows  the  face  mould  for  a  large  well  with  the 
risers  in  the  springing.  Project  lines  from  the  plan  and 
draw  the  section  at  the  proper  height  above  the  land- 
ing. Draw  the  line  from  the  under  side  of  the  section  to 
meet  the  under  side  of  rail  coming  up.  Draw  the  line 
from  the  joint  to  corner  of  the  section.  This  gives  the 
inclination  of  the  plank,  and  the  parallel  line  on  the 
top  side,  the  thickness;  the  bevel  at  X  gives  the  butt 
joint,  and  the  bevel  at  Y  for  sliding  the  mould.  The 
face  mould  is  drawn  the  same  as  Fig.  I. 

Fig.  6:  The  quadrant  BD  is  the  center  line  of  rail. 
AB,  AD  are  the  tangent  lines,  the  other  two  the 
springing  lines,  BC  and  CD,  which  are  at  right  angles 
to  the  tangent  lines,  and  meeting  in  the  center  C,  from 
where  the  center  line  of  rail  is  drawn.  Then  ABCD 
is  the  plan  of  a  square  prism.  Two  of  its  faces  are 
tangent  to  the  center  line,  the  other  two  are  at  right 
angles  to  the  tangent  faces,  and  their  intersection  is  the 
axis  of  the  cylinder  containing  the  center  line  of  rail. 
With  the  side  AD  as  a  ground  line  draw  an  elevation 
of  that  face,  AD,  EH.  Draw  the  line  HI  as  the  eleva- 
tion of  the  line  AD,  and  the  pitch  at  which  that  face 
of  the  prism  is  cut.  With  A  as  center,  turn  AB  into  the 
vertical  plane;  draw  B'l,  which  is  the  elevation  of 
AB,  and  the  pitch  that  the  face  is  cui  by.  To  deter- 
mine the  horizontal  trace  of  the  cutting  plane  that 
contains  these  two  lines,  produce  HI  to  meet  the 
ground  line,  which  is  one  point  in  HT,  and  B 
being  in  the  horizontal  plane  is  another  point.  Draw 
HT  through  these  points.  Having  the  horizontal  trace 
HT  and  the  plan  D  and  elevation  H  of  a  point  that 
the  plane  passes  through,  the  inclination  and  section 


1- 1 


•.^■.1    L,.-' 


<6         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 


in 
!l! 


|i| 


can  be  readily  obtaii'l.  At  right  angles  to  HT  draw 
X2,  Y2  through  the  center  C;  by  doing  this  the  line 
that  shows  the  true  inclination  will  also  contain  the 
major  axis  of  the  elliptical  section.     Parallel  to  HT 


THIRD  METHOD  «7 

draw  lines  from  ACD,  and  on  the  line  from  D  set  up 
the  height  3,  3'  taken  from  HD;  then  draw  the  line 
through  I,  3',  which  is  the  true  inclination  of  the 
plane.  From  i,  2',  C,  3'  draw  lines  at  right  angles  to 
I,  3';  then  make  iB"  equal  to  iB,  2' A'  equal  to  2 A,  C 
minor  to  C  major,  3'D'  to  3D.  Join  A',  B".  C,  D'.  This 
is  the  section  of  the  prism,  and  to  be  correct  A'B" 
must  equal  B'l,  and  A'D',  HI.  To  draw  the  section  of 
the  cylinder  continue  the  center  line  of  rail  to  meet 
X2,  Y2  at  4;  draw  4,  4'  parallel  to  3,  3';  then  from  C 
to  4'  is  the  semi-major  axis,  the  semi-minor  being 
drawn.  Draw  the  semi-ellipse  which  will  pass  through 
B"  and  D'. 


Fig.  7  is  a  perspective  view  of  the  prism  to  assist  the 
reader  to  follow  what  is  done  at  Fig.  I,  in  order  to 
obtain  the  necessary  bevels,  that  is,  the  pngles  the  cut- 
ting plane  makes  with  the  vertical  faces  of  the  prism. 
A,  B,  C,  D  is  the  bottom  face,  and  E,  F.  G,  H  the  top 
face,  and  BI,  III  the  pitches  the  two  faces  are  cut  by. 
Produce  the  upper  pitch  to  meet  the  ground  line,  AD, 


'1 


'.•i.":  ■  .f^-idSt^-:'-;-/^'?^^ 


5^.*/''       Urn 


M^'j 


68  COMMON-SENSE   HANDRAILING 


t 


V  i 


i  ' 


produced  through  this  point  and  P.  Draw  the  hori- 
xontal  trace.  To  find  the  angle  between  the  plane  and 
this  face,  with  A  as  center  draw  a  circle  tangent  to  the 
pitch-line;  and  to  cut  the  perpendicular  AE,  draw  the 


THIRD  METHOD 


69 


1^1 

F 


line  from  the  intersection  to  B,  and  in  the  angle  \i 
seen  the  bevel,  B  and  D  both  being  the  same  distance 
from  A  (see  D,  Fig.  6).  Referring  again  to  Fig.  7  it 
will  be  seen  that  there  is  a  secon<'  horizontal  plane 
containing  the  top  face  of  the  prism  and  the  pitch  BI 
produced  to  meet  the  edge.  EE  produced  is  a  point  in 
the  horizontal  trace  in  that  plane,  and  the  dotted  line 
through  H  is  the  horizontal  trace.  Then  with  E  as  cen- 
ter draw  the  circle  tangent  hi,  and  cutting  the  perpen- 
dicular AE,  draw  the  line  from  the  intersection  to  H, 
and  in  the  angle  is  seen  the  bevel  between  the  plant 
and  this  face.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  bevel  is  found 
the  same  as  at  Fig.  6. 

Fig.  8  shows  the  tangent  making  an  obtuse  angle. 

Fig.  9  shows 
the  t  a  n  g  e  n  t^s^v  ■'V-  9« 

making  an  acute 
angle,  the  con- 
struction and 
lettering  being 
the  same  as  for 
Fig.  6,  with  the 
exception  that 
both  bevels  are 
found  on  one 
horizontal 
plane.  The  bev- 
els are  found  on 
the  principle  of 
finding  the  in- 
clination of  an 
oblique  plane  to  the  vertical  plane  of  projection,  given 
in  all  books  on  solid  geometry. 

Fig.  10  is  a  sketch  of  the  block  given  in  plan  at 


»      .    L 


'*■ 


•St: 


COMMON-SENSE  IIANDRAILINQ 

Fig.  9  to  show  more  clear 
ly  how  the  b*;vel  for  the 
lower  pitch  is  obtained. 

Fig.  1 1  is  the  plan  of  a 
rail  for  a  level  landing, 
the  risers  landing  and 
starting  in  the  springing 
of  the  well.  Draw  the 
center  line  of  rail  and  the 
joint  line  CD.  Draw  the 
tangent  lines  AB  and  EF, 
which  are  the  center  lines 
of  the  straight  parts  pro- 
duced. The  line  AE  is 
drawn  at  right  angles  to  the  joint  line  CD,  and  with  the 
springing  lines  BC  and  CF  forming  two  squares. 


%.  10. 


■i 


m 


'^twiiifn     -sY^ 


THIRD  METHOD 


7t 


To  draw  the  development  of  these  tangent  lires, 
with  A  as  center  turn  AB  around,  and  with  E  as 
center  turn  EF  around,  erect  perpendiculars  from 
B,  A,  D,  E,  F;  then  place  the  pitch-board  with  the 
risers  to  the  perpendicular  springing  line  at  B,  and 
draw  the  under  side  of  rail  from  where  this  cuts  the 
perpendic^ijar.  Draw  the  horizontal  line  (marked  land- 
ing) where  it  cuts  the  perpendicular.  From  F  set  up  the 
height  of  a  riser.  IMace  the  pitch-board,  I*,  as  shown 
and  draw  the  under  side  of  rail  for  the  top  portion. 
Setoff  half  the  depth  of  rail  at  both  top  and  bottom  and 
draw  the  center  lines.  Where  they  cut  ihe  perpendic- 
ulars from  B  and  F  draw  the  horizontal  lines,  and 
through  the  points  where  they  cut  the  pcrjiendicu- 
lars  from  A  and  E  draw  the  pitch  across  the  well. 
Through  the  point  where  this  pitch  cuts  the  perpen- 
dicular from  D  draw  the  horizontal  line.  The  dis- 
tance between  these  horizontal  lines  gives  the  height 
the  rail  rises  in  coming  up  from  B  to  D  and  from 
D  to  F.  In  this  system  the  heights  are  taken  from 
spring-line  to  spring-line,  the  shank  ends  are  the 
tangent  lines  produced,  which  may  be  made  any 
length. 

To  draw  the  bevels,  with  G  as  a  center  on  the  hori- 
zontal line  draw  the  circle  tangent  to  the  center  line, 
and  to  cut  the  perpendicular  from  E  and  from  the 
intersection,  draw  the  line  to  H,  and  in  the  angles  is 
seen  the  bevel  for  the  shank  end.  Then  with  I  as  center 
draw  the  circle  tangent  to  the  pitch  across  the  well 
and  turn  it  around  to  cut  the  perpendicular  above  I. 
From  the  intersection  draw  the  line  to  F,  and  in  the 
angle  is  seen  the  bevel  for  the  center  joint  Set  off  half 
the  width  of  rail  on  the  horizontal  lines  and  project 
them  up  to  the  bevels.     Measuring  along  the  top  edge 


4» 


"••SI 


.1] 


7» 


COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 


of  the  bevel  gives  half  the  width  of  face  mould  at  the 
end  the  bevel  is  for. 


Fig.  12  is  the  face  mould,  the  square,  ABCD,  being 
drawn  the  same  as  Fig.  ii.  Having  drawn  the  center 
line  the  next  step  is  to  determine  the  horizontal  trace 
or  directing  ordinate,  for  all  ordinates  must  be  parallel 
to  this  line. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  center  line  at  Fig.  ii  is 
drawn  through  the  perpendicular  AA'  to  meet  the 
horizontal  lin*-  at  T;  then  A"T  is  the  distance  measured 
on  AB  produced,  at  Fig.  12,  that  gives  the  point  in 
HT  or  directing  ordinate,  and  1)  being  in  the  hori- 
zontal plane  is  another  point  in  the  trace.  Then  draw 
HT  or  ordinate,  and  draw  XY  at  right  angles  with  it 
through  the  center  C;  then  parallel  with  HT  draw  lines 
from  ABC.  On  the  line  from  B  set  up  the  height  vV 
taken  from  Fig.  11,  draw   the  line  through  1-3',  draw 


THIRD   METHOD 


IS 


lines  from  l,  2',  C,  3'  at  right  angles  to  I-3',  and  on  these 

lines  mark  off  the  distances  taken  from  the  plan. 
Measuring  from  XY,  iD',  2'A'C'M'3'B',  join  D'A',  and 
make  the  joint  D'  square  with  this  line.  Join  A'B',  and 
produce  it  to  any  convenient  length.  Make  the  joint 
square  with  A'B', and  set  off  the  width  on  each  side  taken 
from  the  bevel  for  the  shank  S  at  Fig.  i.  Draw  lines  from 
D'  to  C  and  through  B'C,  which  is  the  springing  line. 

To  draw  the  curve  for  the  inside  and  outside  of  the 
rail,  continue  the  center  line  from  B  to  4  in  XY.  Then 
set  off  half  the  width  of  the  rail  on  each  side  of  4, 
project  these  to  meet  1-3',  as  shown  by  the  dotted 
lines.  These  two  points  give  the  semi-major  axis  for 
both  curves  measured  from  C;  CM  is  the  minor  axis. 
Set  off  half  the  width  of  rail  on  each  side  of  M ;  this  gives 
the  semi-minor  axis  for  both  curves.  Draw  the  curves 
with  a  trammel  c.  string  and  pins,  which  to  be  correct 
must  pass  through  the  points  on  the  line  C'B';  and  the 
tangent  lines  on  the  face  mould,  B'A'  and  A'D',  must 
be  the  same  length  as  B'A'  and  A'D'  in  the  develop- 
ment, Fig.  II. 

In  practice,  as  soon  as  the  line  1-3'  is  drawn  with  all 
the  points  on  it,  the  face  mould  is  drawn  on  a  thin 
piece  of  stuff  with  a  gauge  line  run  on  at  a  convenient 
distance  from  the  edge.  This  gauge  line  represents  the 
line  1-3'.  All  the  points  on  1-3  are  marked  on  the 
edge  of  the  bo^rd  and  squared  over  on  the  face,  and 
the  distances  marked  from  the  gauge  line  and  the  face 
mould  drawn  same  as  Fig.  2.  Then  cut  it  out  to  the 
lines  and  square  over  on  the  othv.r  side  the  tangent, 
spring  and  minor  axis  lines. 

Fig.  13  shows  the  wreath  cut  out  square  through  the 
plank,  planed  true,  and  the  mould  applied,  the  tangent 
lines  TT  pricked  off  and   the  joints   marked.      The 


4 


i  >j 


74 


COMMON-SENSE   HANDRAILINQ 


i.  9 

li  I 


i:\ 


joints  nre  made  square  to  these  lines.    Square  over  the 
lines  on  the  ends,  mark  the  center  of  the  stuff  on  these 


lines,  then  with  the  bevel  for  each  end,  draw  the  lines 
BB  through  the  center  of  the  stuff.  S  aare  over  these 
lines  on  the  face  on  both  sides  as  seen  by  the  dotted 
lines  on  the  top  side. 


m.iw 


^v- 


;/^.'-    'f 


THIRD   METHOD 


75 


Fig.  14  shows  '.he  face  mould  in  position  with  the  tan- 
gent lines  held  to  the  corresponding  line  on  the  wreat'n. 
The  etched  part  shows  the  amount  to  be  taken  off. 


.fy 


J 


to 


V 


Fig.  15. 


Fig.  15  is  the  plan  of  a  rail  for  a  quarter-space  land- 
ing, the  risers'  landing  and  starting  being  placed  in  the 
springing  of  the  well.  The  radius  of  the  center  line  of 
rail  being  equal  to  half  a  fread,  the  pitch-board  gives 
the  inclination  of  both  tangentu.  If  a  r.quare  block  be 
cut  with  two  of  its  adjacent  sides  to  the  same  pitch,  it 
will  be  seen  that  a  line  joining  the  two  opposite 
corners  is  horizontal.  This  oeing  known,  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  unfold  the  tangents. 

Fig.  16.  Draw  a  square,  ABCD,  same  as  the  square, 
ABCD,  at  Fig.  l;  draw  one  diagonal,  which  is  tht- direct- 
ing ordinate;  draw  the  line  XY  at  right  angles  with 


76 


COMMON.SENSE   HANDRAILING 


'   I 


»      I 
\      I 


I      f 


it;  and  draw  lines  D  and   B  parallel  to  the  ordinate. 
Referring  to  Fig.  15  it  will  be  seen  that  the  rail  In  com- 


ing up  from  springing  to  springing  will  rise  the  height 
of  one  riser.  Again  at  Fig.  16,  on  the  line  from  D, 
set  up  the  height  of  one  riser.  Draw  the  line  from 
I  through  C;  a  second  line  is  drawn  parallel  with  the 
first.  This  line  would  represent  the  gauge  line  on 
the  stuff  for  the  face  mould.  Square  over  the  lines  on 
the  stuff;  from  i,  €,'3',  on  these  lines,  mark  off  the  dis- 
tances taken  from  the  plan  iB',  CM  A,  and  3D,  and 
through  the  points  draw  the  tangent  lines  A'B',  A'D', 
and  B'C,  CD'  the  springing  lines.  Produce  the  tan- 
gent lines  any  convenient  length  and  make  the  joint 
lines  square  with  them. 
To  draw  the  bevel,  place  the  pitch-board  on  the  side 


M 


THIRD  METHOD 


77 


AD  of  the  square  with  its  tread  side  to  the  line,  and 
draw  the  pitch  through  A,  which  is  the  inclination  of 
the  tangents.  Then  with  D  as  center  draw  the  circle 
tangent  to  the  pitch,  and  cutting  the  side  CD  pro- 
duced, draw  the  line  from  the  intersection  to  A,  and  in 
the  angles  is  seen  the  bevel  for  both  ends.  Set  off  half 
the  width  of  rail  on  DA,  project  it  up  to  the  bevel. 
This  gives  on  the  top  edge  half  the  width  of  face 
mould  at  each  end.  Set  off  this  width  on  each  side  ot 
the  tangent  lines  A'B',  A'D',  and  draw  parallel  lines 
through  the  points  to  the  springing  lines  CB',  CD'. 
To  draw  the  curves  turn  the  center  lines  around  to 
meet  XY  at  O;  on  each  side  of  O  set  off  half  the  width 
of  rail;  project  these  on  to  the  line  1-3',  which  gives 
the  semi-major  a.xis  for  each  curve.     On  each  side  of 


M  on  the  minor  axis  line,   set  off  half  the  width   of 
rail;  these  give  the  semi-minor  axis  for  each  curve. 
Draw  the  curves  which   must  pass  through  the  points 
on  the  springing  lines  on  each  side  of  B'  and  D'. 
Fig.  17  is  the  wreath  worked  into  cylindrical  form, 


■3 


I 


J     ■'. 


78 


COMMON-SENSE   HANDRAILING 


J    f 


i  1 


r     ::. 


f     H 


mark 

1, 


and  the  lir  shown  ready  for  squaring.  To  draw  the 
lines  on  the  stuff,  a  thin  piece  is  made  to  the  size  of 
the  rail  before  being  moulded,  and  a  gauge  line  run 
through  the  center  both  ways.  The  one  through  the 
depth  is  held  to  the  line  drawn  across  the  end  or  joint 
with  the  bevel,  and  the  other  kept  to  the  center  of  the 
stuff.  Mark  the  top  and  bottom,  which  gives  the 
shaded  portions  to  come  off.  The  line  through  the 
center  is  squared  over  on  each  side  as  far  as  the  spring- 
ing lines  at  -SS,  the  minor  a.xis  line  is  drawn  across  the 
stuff  parallel  with  the  springing  lines.  Mark  the  center 
of  the  stuff  on  this  line,  and  with  O  as  a  center,  and 
the  c  mpasses  set  to  half  the  depth  of  the  rail,  draw 
the  t  )  arcs  as  shown.  The  outside  of  the  wreath  is 
!  in  the  same  manner. 

^uaring   the  wreath  the  slabs   at  IJ  anil  T  are 
>»ff  square  with  the  joints  as  far  as  the  spring- 
es, then  eased  around    tangent  to  the  arcs  of 
the    two    opposite    slabs    being   worked    off 
!  to  thr  depth  of  the  rail. 

squared  the  height  must  be  tested.  The 
1  the  vice  or  bench  screw,  and  the  sides 
ines  set  perpendicular  to  a  board  planed 
n  the  bench  top.  With  one  end  of  a 
board,  mark  the  point  where  the  center  line 
cuts  the  nging  line  at  S,  then  m<ne  the  rod  around 
to  the  other  jioint  S,  still  keeping  the  end  on  the 
board,  and  mark  the  point.  If  the  distance  between 
the  two  points  on  the  rod  equals  the  height  at  Fig.  2 
the  wreath  can  be  squared,  if  not,  the  center  lines  must 
be  raised  or  lowered  to  suit. 

Fig.  l8  is  the  plan  and  stretchout  of  the  tantjents  for 
another  quarter-s|)ace  landing,  the  center  line  being 
struck  with  a  smaller  radius  than  Fig.   1.     The  tan- 


rr! 


C 

:   ira 
B- 

wre.'. 
nd 

.rue 
rod  (u 


bei 
pu 


THIRD  METHOD 


79 


gents  are  unfolded  and  the  center  line  drawn  at  the 
top  and  bottom  portions  as  shown.    The  center  line 


A'D'  is  produced  past  A',  which  is  the  point  where  the 
center  line  of  the  lower  portions  must  meet  it.  It  will 
be  seen  that  if  the  center  line  of  the  lower  portion  had 
been  produced,  it  would  cut  the  perpendicular  below 


i'\ 


1 ,1 


ry:J 


-■•;(■ 


M 
■11 


t  -I 


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So 


COMMON-SENSE   HANDRAILING 


A'.  Then  the  pitch  must  be  altered  to  lengthen  as  few 
balusters  as  possible.  This  must  be  done  from  about 
the  center  of  the  last  step,  as  shown  by  the  pitch- 
board.  Draw  the  line  B'A'  as  shown.  Bisect  the 
angle;  draw  the  joint-line  to  meet  the  bisecting  line, 
which  is  the  center  the  ramp  is  struck  from. 


■    i 


I     V 


I 


Fig.  19  shows  the  face  mould  for  Fig.  18,  obtained  in 
the  same  way  as  those  for  Fig.  i  on  the  last  page. 

Fig.  20  shows  how  the  usual 
thickness  allowed  for  the  wreath 
is  obtain«>d.  Where  there  is  a 
different  be\el  for  each  end  the 
one  with  the  more  acute  angle 
is  used. 

Fig.  21  is  the  plan  of  center  line  of  .ail  for  a  well 
with  six  winders,  as  shown,  two  of  them  being  in  the 
springing  at  each  side.  Draw  the  tangent  lines,  the 
joint  line  CD,  and  the  springing  lines  BC,  CF  forming 
two  squares  as  shown. 


Fig.  20 


kt 


THIRD  METHOD 


Fig.  22  is  the  stretchout  or 
development  of  the  tangent 
lines.  To  draw  this  let  the 
line  LM  be  the  edge  of  the 
drawing  board;  with  a  bevel 
set  to  a  convenient  angle  the 
end  of  the  winder  and  riser 
would  give  the  pitch.  Draw 
the  line  B'B";  then  parallel 
with  B'B"  draw  A'A"  at  a 
distance  equal  to  the  side  BA 
of  the  square  at  Fig.  21,  and 
the  same  with  D'D",  E'E" 
and  F'F".  Place  the  pitch- 
board  with  its  riser  side  to 
the  line  B'B",  as  shown,  and 
draw  the  last  straif^ht  step. 
From  the   top  of    the   riser 


w» 


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8a 


COMMON-SENSE   HANDRAILINQ 


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f' 


draw  the  line  at  ri(,'lit  anjjles  to  B'B"  for  the  first 
winder.  This  being  the  development  of  the  tangents 
the  width  of  each  winder  is  taken  from  where  th<  y  cut 
the  tangent  lints  at  Fig.  21.  'I  nen  on  the  first  winder 
from  B'B"  mark  off  the  distance  B  to  R12*,  Fig.  21,  and 
through  the  point  R12',  with  the  pitch-board  mark  off 
the  height  of  a  riser;  and  through  the  point  draw  the 
line  at  right  angles  to  AX"  for  the  second  winder. 
F"rom  A'X"  mark  off  the  distance  A  to  R13,  Fig.  21,  and 
througli  the  point  draw  R13'  the  height  of  a  riser,  and 
drawthe  line  atrif^ditangle';  to  D'D"  for  the  third  winder. 
RefeTJn^  to  Fig.  21  it  will  be  seen  that  riser  14  passes 
through  tin-  point  I),' thru  R14',  Fig.  22,  is  on  the  line 
D'D".  Mark  the  height  of  a  risei,  and  draw  the  line  at 
right  angles  for  the  next  winder.  The  ^rawing  for  the 
top  winders  up  to  R17'  is  just  a  repetition  of  what  has 
been  done  for  the  others.  Then  from  R17'  draw  the 
ne,\t  straight  step,  ami  from  the  top  edge  of  the 
pitch-board,  top  and  bottom,  se*  off  half  the  depth  of 
the  rail  and  draw  the  center  line  as  shown.  It  will  be 
seen  that,  if  the  center  line  at  the  top  had  been  con- 
tinued straight  to  meet  K'E",  the  rail  would  be  too 
high  over  winder  16;  then  the  rail  must  be  lowered  at 
F',  but  not  more  tlian  half  its  depth.  From  the  center 
line  at  about  the  center  of  the  step,  draw  the  pitch  to 
K',  as  shown;  draw  the  pitch  A'K'  nearly  parallel  with 
the  winders.  In  this  case  it  is  continued  down  to  meet 
the  center  line  at  the  bottom.  If  this  should  make  the 
rail  too  high  at  winder  13,  then  the  pitch  must  be 
lowered  at  A',  and  A'H'  drawn  to  another  pitch.  Where 
the  pitches  meet  the  center  lines  at  top  and  bottotn, 
bisect  the  angles  and  draw  the  joint  lines  square  with 
the  pitchi.s.  and  to  nuct  the  l)isecting  lines  which  give 

•R.  li  incaiiH  riser  u  i.ii  IIh.  ii.mul  K.  j.'',  vast  li'  iuTFig.  21;  and  M  on 
with  tbete  compuuud  teictcunea.—JiJ, 


THIRD  METHOD 


83 


the  centers  the  ramps  are  struck  from.  The  joints 
should  be  kept  clear  off  the  springing  lines  B'B"  and 
F'F".  The  ramps  may  be  made  any  length.  The 
center  lines  must  be  marked  on  the  templets  and  the 
face  of  the  risers  10  and  12,  as  shown,  and  transferred 
to  the  ramps.  The  lengths  of  the  straight  rail  can  be 
got  from  these  riser  lines,  and  all  can  be  jointed  with 
accuracy. 


'! 


Fig,  23  is  the  face  mould  for  the  lower  portion,  the 
drawing  being  similar  in  every  respect  to  what  has 
already  been  described.  The  height  is  taken  from 
where  the  pitch  or  raking  tangent  cuts  the  springing 
line  B'B",  Fig.  22,  to  the  line  drawn  at  right  anfles  to 
D'D"  through  the  joint.  The  pitches  being  the  same, 
the  bevel  answers  for  both  ends.  Where  the  line  from 
B'  cuts  A' A"  at  N,  with  N  as  center,  draw  the  circle 
tangent  to  the  pitch  and  cutting  A'A".  From  the 
intersection  d»aw  the  line  to  B'.  and  in  the  angle  is 


>'4l 


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'*i:^waimxmMTXT:i£^^j^ii^m:^. 


MICROCOPY   RESOIUTION   TEST   CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


^     APPLIED  IM/^GE 


^^^i   East    Mair    Street 

Rochester.    Ne»    York         14609        USA 

('16)   482  -0300 -Phone 

(716)   288  -  5989  -  Fo, 


84 


COMMON-SENSE    HANDRAILING 


i  i 


seen  the  bevel.     The  straight  portion  of  the  face  mould 
from  B'  to  joint  at  Fig.  ?3  is  made  the  same  as  B'  to 
joint  at  Fig.  22. 

Fig.  24  is  the 
face  mould  for  the 
top  portion.  To 
find  the  height 
where  the  pitch 
cuts  the  springing 
lineF'F",  Fig.  22, 
draw  the  line  F'F" 
at  right  angles  to 
D";  then  to  the 
lineatright  angles 
to  D'D",  through 
the  joint  is  the 
height.  Where 
the  line  through 
the  joint  cuts  E'F' 
at  O,  with  O  as 
center,  draw  a  cir- 
cle tangent  to  the 
pitch  and  cutting 
the  line  E'E".  From  the  intersection  draw  the  line  to 
D',  and  in  the  angle  is  seen  the'  cvel  for  the  shank  end; 
where  the  line  F'D"  cuts  E'E  as  center  draw  a  circle 
tangent  to  the  lower  pitch,  and  cutting  the  line  E'E". 
From  the  intersection  draw  the  line  to  D",  and  in  the  ' 
angle  is  seen  the  bevel  for  the  center  joint.  Make  F 
joint,  Fig.  24,  same  as  F  joint.  Fig.  22. 

Fig.  25  shows  a  simple  method  of  finding  the 
bevels,  and  one  which  answers  in  every  case.  Let 
LM  be  the  edge  of  the  drawing  board.  Square  over  the 
line  CM,  and  make  the  line  CM  equal  to  the  radius  of 


Fig.  2^ 


'"'5^i^; 


£s^.?!®^.^:^y^&^y^^^  Ji 


THIRD  METHOD 

the  center  line  of  rail.     Then  at  Fig. 

24.  with  C  as  a  center,  draw  an  arc  tan- 
gent to  the  line  E'D';  then  with  C,  Fig. 

25,  as  a  center  and  the  same  radius, 
draw  the  arc  cutting  the  edge  of  the 
board,  as  shown;  draw  from  the  inter- 
section to  C,  and  in  the  angle  is  the 
bevel  for  that  end  of  the  wreath. 
Again  at  Fig.  24,  with  C  as  a  center, 
draw  an  arc  tangent  to  the  line  E'F', 
and  repeat  at  Fig.  25  for  the  bevel  for 
that  end  of  the  wreath.  These  bevels 
can  be  tested  with  those  at  Fig.  22,  and 
they  will  be  found  to  be  exactly  the  same. 


8S 


M 


*  t' 


i>i 


Fig.  26  is  the  plan  of  the  wreath,  showing  the  risers 
and  tangents. 

Fig.  27  is  the  development,  being  a  repetition  of 
what  has  ht-en  done  in  previous  chapters.  It  will  be 
seen  that  the  center  lines  of  the  straight  rails  (if  pro- 


.    .i  (1 

■Ml 


?!i 


COMMON-SENSE    HANDRAILING 


III 


4     • 


s\ 


.^  / 


■>, 


M. 


Fig.27, 


diiced)  would  not  met-t  on  the 
perpendicular  A'.  Then  there 
are  three  ways  this  wreath  may 
be  worked  out  by  the  tangent 
system:  first,  with  the  wreath 
in  one  piece,  and  to  form  its 
own  casings.  To  do  this  set- 
tle on  the  position  of  the  joints 
JJ  (the  shorter  the  shank  ends 
the  less  thickness  will  be  re- 
quired for  the  wreath);  from  JJ 
draw  the  pitch  across  the  well. 
The  point  where  this  line  cuts 
the  perpendiculars  B'  and  D', 
gives  the  height. 


Fig.  28* 


Fig.  28:  The  pitches  of  the 
wreath  being  equal,  the  face 
mould  is  drawn  same  as  those 
in  previous  plates. 


^:y^«>^t*>*^ -^  v^:  Ka-^j:  w'-.j^.-^  ■ 


THIRD  METHOD 


87 


Fig.  29  is  an 
isome  t  r  i  c  al 
sketch  of  the 
wreath  worked 
into  cylindrical 
form.  Cut  out 
the  wreath  a  lit- 
tle wider  than 
the  face  mould; 
squ  '.re  through 
the  plank;  plane 
one  face  true  and 
apply  the   face 

mould,  marking  the  joints  and  transferring  the  tangent 
lines  to  the  stuff.  Those  are  represented  by  the  dotted 
lines.  At  first  the  joints  are  made  square  to  those  lines 
and  to  the  face  of  the  wreath.  Square  the  lines  over 
the  ends  as  far  as  the  center  C;  then  with  the  bevel, 
shown  at  Fig.  27,  draw  lines  across  the  ends  through  C. 
From  those  lines,  draw  lines  square  from  the  end  on 
each  face  of  the  wreath.  The  tangent  lines  on  the  face 
mould  are  held  to  these  when  marking  and  working 
the  wreath  into  cylindrical  form.  When  the  face 
mould  is  in  its  position  on  the  wreath  (when  worked;, 
draw  lines  across  each  side  of  the  wreath  from  the 
springing  and  minor  axis  lines  as  shown.  Draw  the  line 
through  C  square  with  the  line  drawn  with  the  bevel. 
From  this  line  draw  square  from  the  end  the  center  line 
JS  on  the  side  of  the  wreath.  Referring  again  to  Fig. 
27  it  will  be  seen  the  center  line  of  the  straight  rail 
meets  the  perpendicular  springing  line  D'  at  T.  Then 
make  a  thin  piece  of  stuff  to  the  exact  shape  of  the 
triantrle  TST  and  annlv  this  to  the  wreath  at  Fisr.  20, 


i    }: 


With  the  side  JS  to  JS,  and  ST  to  the  springi  ig  line  draw 


f    li 


S8 


COMMON-SENSE   HANDRAILING 


the  line  JT,  which  is  the  new  center  line.  The  joint  is 
then  made  square  to  this  line  and  the  side  of  the 
wreath.  This  will  be  repeated  at  the  other  end.  Then 
test  the  height  and  square  the  wreath.  The  shank 
ends  must  be  worked  off  as  far  as  necessary  parallel  to 
the  new  center  line  JT.  Should  it  be  necessary  to 
have  the  shank  ends  the  exact  lenj,rth  shown  at  Fig.  27 
the  tangent  lines  on  the  face  mould,  B'J  and  D'J,  Fig. 
28,  would  be  made  to  TJ  instead  of  SJ,  Fig.  27,  to 
allow  TJ  on  the  wreath,  Fig.  29,  to  be  the  same  length 
as  TJ,  Fig.  27.  This  would  be  immaterial  in  joining  up 
to  straight  rails,  as  the  springing  lines  are  drawn 
across  the  under  side  of  the  wreath  and  the  lengths 


are    taken    from    them.       For    the    extra    thicknes*! 

required   for  this  wreath    the    distance  ST,   Fig.   27, 

would  be  quite  sufficient  over  what  is  usually  allowed.' 

Fig.  30  is  the  development  for  the  wreath  to  be  in 


.■Sir,'. 

',\.^  i-' 


tK.<, 


THIRD   METHOD 


89 


one  piece  with  the  easing  on  the  straight  rail  at  the 
top.  The  face  mould  is  not  drawn,  being  similar  to 
these  already  explained. 


Fig.  31  is  the  development  for  the  wreath  to  be  in 
two  pieces.  Redraw  the  plan  same  as  Fig.  i;  draw 
the  joint  line  CD,  and  draw  BE  tangent  to  the  center 
line  and  at  right  angles  to  CD.  Produce  the  center 
lines  past  A  and  F  to  meet  B  and  E.  With  B  and  E  as 
centers  turn  the  springing  lines  around,  and  project 
them  up  parallel  with  CD.  Draw  the  landing  line  at 
light  angles  to  CD;  place  the  pitch-board  at  R7  and 
draw  the  pitch  and  center  line.    At  RS  set  up  one  riser 


11 


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90 


COMMON-SENSE   HANDRAILING 


above  the  landing;  then  draw  the  pitch  and  center  lines. 
From  where  the  center  lines  cut  the  perpendiculars  B' 
and  E',  draw  the  pitch  in  the  center  of  the  wreath,  and 
where  this  cuts  the  perpendicular  D'  gives  one  point  in 
the  height,  and  the  joint  is  drawn  through  the  intersec- 
tion, and  where  the  center  lines  cut  the  perpendiculars, 
A'  and  F',  gives  the  other  points  in  the  heights,  as 
shown  by  the  horizontal  lines. 

Fig.  32  is  the  face 
mould.  Redraw  the  cen- 
ter line  with  its  tangents 
AB  and  BD;  produce 
AB  to  T,  making  BT 
same  as  B'T,  Fig.  6. 
Draw  the  ordinate  TD; 
draw  XY  at  right  angles 
to  TD  through  the  cen- 
ter C  and  draw  projec- 
tions from  A  and  B,  and 
on  TD  produced.  Set 
up  the  height  H,  taken 
from  Fig.  6,  from  where  the  projector  from  A  cuts  XY. 
Draw  the  pitch  of  plank  and  parallel  with  this  draw  the 
line  through  C.  Where  the  lines  from  TD,  B  a.id  A 
cut  this  line  draw  lines  at  right  angles.  Measure  on 
these  the  distances  lA,  2B  and  3D,  join  A'B'D'  and 
make  the  joint  square  with  B'D'.  Dra'  .e  springing 
line  through  A'  to  C  and  on  the  line  fr  1  C  set  off  the 
radii  of  the  inside  and  outside  of  the  rr  for  the  minor 
axis.  Turn  the  center  line  around  to  meet  XY  at  O, 
set  off  half  the  width  of  rail  on  each  side,  project  these 
down  to  meet  the  pitch-line  for  the  major  axis,  and 
draw  the  curves. 

Fig.  33  shows  the  bevels.     Let  LM  be  the  edge  of  a 


%.  32 


THIRD  METHOD 


9« 


i:*' 


a 


board.     Square  over  a  line  and  measure 

off  on  this  the  radius  of  the  center  line  of 

rail  CA.     Then  with  C,  Fig.  32,  as  center, 

draw  an  arc  tangent  to  A'B'.     Then  from 

C  draw  the  arc,  cjtting  LM;  draw  from 

the  intersection  to  C,  and  in  the  angle  is  c! 

the    bevel    for   the  shank   end.     Set   off 

half  the  width  of  radii  on    AC;  project 

this  up  to  the  top  edge  of  the  bevel;  take  the  distance 

along  the  top  edge  of  the  bevel  and  set  it  off  on  each 

side  of  the  tangent  A'B',    Fig.    32.     Draw  the    lines 

parallel  with  A'B  to  meet  the  springing  line.     The 

elliptic  curves  must  pass  through  these  points.     The 

shank  end  can  be  made  any  length.     For  the  bevel  at 

the  other  end  the  arc  must  be  drawn  tangent  to  B'D', 

Fig.  32,  and  repeated  as  shown. 

In  the  system  of  handrailing,  known  as  the  section 
of  a  cylinder,  through  three  given  points,  or  the  face 
mould  plane  through  three  points,  tlic  section  is  deter- 
mined through  an  imaginary  solid  containing  on  its  sur- 
face the  center  line  of  rail,  and  its  base  being  defined 
by  the  plan  of  the  center  line.  The  following  examples 
illustrate  this  method: 

Fig.  34  is  the  plan  and  development  of  the  center 
line  of  a  rail  for  a  well  with  two  quarter-space  land- 
ings, the  risers  being  placed  in  the  springing  at  each 
side  of  the  well.  To  draw  the  development  of  the 
center  line,  draw^  the  equilateral  triangle  on  the  diam- 
eter of  the  center  line.  Produce  the  two  sides  to  cut 
the  line  drawn  tangent  to  the  center  line  and  parallel 
with  the  diameter.  Between  the  intersections  is  the 
stretchout  or  development,  and  the  perpendicular 
lines  S,  S  are  springing  lines.  Place  the  pitch-board 
with  its  riser  bide  to  the  line  S  at  R7;  drav  the  line 


U\ 


1 1 


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It 

i 


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93 


COMMON-SENSE   HANDRAILING 


along  the  top  edge  where  it  cuts  the  springing  line; 
draw  the  first  landing  at  right  angles  to  the  springing 


line.     On  the  line  projected  from  the  center  of  the 
well,  mark  off  the  height  of  a  riser  and  draw  the  second 


THIRD  METHOD 


93 


landing;  on  the  springing  line  mark  off  the  height  of 
a  riser  and  draw  the  horizontal  line.  Place  the  pitch- 
board  with  its  tread  side  to  this  line,  and  the  point  to 
the  springing  line.  Draw  the  line  along  the  top  edge 
for  the  under  side  of  rail  and  from  the  top  edge  of  the 
pitch-board  at  top  and  bottom  portions,  set  off  half  the 
depth  of  rail,  and  draw  the  center  line  lo  meet  the 
springing  lines  at  S'S'.  Join  S'S'  and  draw  the  easings 
between  the  two  lines  at  top  and  bottom,  and  where 
the  line  S'S'  cuts  the  perpendicular  from  the  center  of 
the  well,  draw  the  joint  line  through  the  intersection, 
also  the  horizontal  line  to  the  left.  Draw  the  joint 
line  at  the  shank  of  the  lower  portion  at  right  angles 
to  the  center  line.  From  the  center  of  the  rail  erect  the 
perpendicular  I'l'  to  meet  the  horizontal  line  through 
the  center  joint,  i't,'  is  the  height  the  bottom  portion 
of  the  wreath  risers,  and  also  the  height  of  two  of  the 
points  the  section  plane  must  pass  through.  The 
middle  resting  point  may  be  taken  in  the  center  of  the 
development  for  that  portion  if  the  shank  is  short, 
as  in  this  case,  but  when  the  shrnk  is  long  the  middle 
resting  point  must  be  taken  in  the  curve,  about  one- 
third  the  distance  between  the  springing  line  and  the 
center  joint.  In  this  case  the  horizontal  line  through 
the  center  joint  and  3'  is  divided  in  two  and  the  per- 
peodicular  dropped  to  meet  the  easing  line  from  the 
intersection.  Draw  the  horizontal  line  to  meet  the  per- 
pendicular at  2,  which  gives  the  height  of  the  middle 
resting  point  the  plane  must  pass  through. 

To  draw  the  section  these  points  must  be  determined 
in  plan.  From  l',  in  the  center  of  the  shank  joint,  draw 
the  horizontal  line  to  the  springing  line.  Take  this  dis- 
tance in  the  compasses  and  mark  the  center  line  in  the 
plan  from  springing  to  the  joint  at  I.    Take  the  distance 


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IN 


94  COMMON-SENSE    HANDRAILING 

from  the  springing  line  to  the  middle  point  at  the  eas- 
ing and  mark  the  distance  from  the  springing  to  2  in 
the  plan;  ihen  3  at  the  center  joint  in  plan  gives  the 
third  point. 


F'g-  3  5-  Redraw  the  plan  with  tlie  points  as 
shown.  Join  3  and  2,  and  produce  the  line  to  the  left 
and  on  this  line  erect  perpendiculars  from  3  and  2. 
Make  the  one  from  3  the  height  of  r-3'  at  Fig.  34, 
and  the  one  from  2  the  height  of  i'-2',  Fig.  34.     Draw 


THIRD   METHOD 


55 


a  line  through  the  points  mcitin^f  the  linejoininfj  2  and 
3,  which  is  Olio  point  in  the  horizontal  trace.  The 
point  1  at  the  center  of  the  shank  joint  is  in  the  hor- 
izontal plane.  Draw  HT  through  these  points;  draw 
XY  at  right  angles  to  HT;  draw  ordinates  from  the 
center  and  each  side  of  the  rail  at  the  springing  line. 
Across  the  rail  through  C  and  from  3,  at  the  center 
joint  on  the  line  from  3,  set  up  the  height,  r-3',  Fig.  34; 
above  XY  draw  the  lines  l,  3',  which  is  the  pitch-line. 
From  where  the  ordinates  cut  this  line,  draw  lines  at 
right  angles  and  measure  off  on  these  lines  from  the 
pitch-line,  the  corresponding  points  in  plan,  measured 
from  XY.  The  curves  may  be  drawn  with  the  trammel. 
Turn  the  center  line  around  and  draw  the  line  tangent 
to  it  parallel  with  the  ordinates.  Set  off  half  tne 
width  of  rail  on  each  side  of  this  line  and  project  these 
up  to  1-3'  and  to  the  major  a.xis  line,  which  gives 
the  semi-major  axis  for  both  curves,  the  semi-minor 
being  on  the  line.  Througii  C,  draw  the  springing 
line  4'C',  and  draw  the  line  through  3'C'.  The 
joints  are  made  at  right  augles  to  these  produced 
at  l'  and  3',  as  shown.  Draw  the  shaded  section, 
and  the  line  through  the  bottom  corner  shows  the 
thickness  for  the  square  rail.  In  the  angle  is 
seen  the  bevel  to  slide  the  mould  by.  The  dotted 
line  from  th  ^  top  point  of  the  bevel  cutting  the  line 
through  the  bottom  corner  of  the  section  gives  the 
whole  distance  the  mould  has  to  slide.  Bisect  this  line 
at  M  and  draw  the  line  on  the  face  mould  through  the 
center  of  the  rail  on  the  minor  axis  line  parallel  to 
the  major  axis  and  pitch-line.  Apply  the  face  mould  to 
the  plank,  and  cut  the  piece  square  through,  a  little 
wider  than  the  face  mould.  Plane  one  face  true  and 
transfer  the  minor  axis  line  and  the  line  parallel  with 


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96  COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 


the  major  axis  from  the 
mould  to  the  stuff.  Square 
over  the  minor  axis  line  on 
both  edges  and  mark  the 
distance  from  M  to  the  dot- 
ted line  at  Fig.  35,  on  one 
side  of  the  minor  axis  line 
at  the  top  and  on  the  other 
at  the  bottom. 

Fig.  36  shows  an  isomet- 
ric projection  of  the  cylin- 
der with  the  lines  on  the 
'^  surface. 

Fig.  37  shows  the  face 
mould  in  its  position  when 
held  to  the  tangent  lines. 
This  is  known  as  the  square 
cut. 


Fig,  38  shows  the  mould  marked  on  the  top  and  hot-  jB 

lom  faces  of  che  plank,  the  mould  bein      loved  along 


THIRD   METHOD 


97 


the  line  on  the  under  side  to  the  distance  fjiven  at  Fi^. 
3r       The  wreath   is  cut  out  to  those  lines.      This  is 


known  as  the  bevel  cut.  The  top  portion  of  the 
wreath  is  the  same  as  the  bottom.  To  make  the  joint 
at  the  shank  end,  it  may  be  necessary  to  use  the  short 
piece  of  falling  mould  as  at  Fig.  34. 

This  last  example  is  after  the  system  invented  by 
Peter  Nicholson,  and  is,  in  fact,  the  foundation  of  all 
scientific  methods  of  handrailing,  though  the  system 
has  been  very  much  improved  by  modern  handrailers. 

As  this  little  book  is  intended  only  for  instruction  in 
handrailing,  very  little  has  been  said  regarding  the 
construction  of  the  carcasses  of  stairs  themselves,  that 
subject  being  left  for  future  consideration,  as  it  was 
not  considered  wise  to  overload  this  volume  with 
matter  not  pertinent  to  the  subject  in  hand,  and  thus 
increase  its  selling  price  beyond  what  the  workman 
».'ould  care  to  pay. 

It  is  hoped  that  out  of  the  numerous  examples  given* 
the  searcher  for  instruction  in  handrailing  will  find 
more  than  enough  to  compensate  him  for  the  outlay  of 
monuy  and  time  he  will  expend  on  this  iittlc  volnmc. 


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INTRODUCTION  TO  METHOD  IV 

NEWELLED   OR    PLATFORM   STAIRS 

With  the  introduction  of  the  so-called  Queen-Anne 
and  Eastlike  styles  of  building  some  thirty  years  ago, 
the  nev.elled  or  platform  stairs  came  more  and  more 
in  vogue,  and  at  the  present  time  more  than  half  the 
stairs  that  are  erected  are  of  this  kind;  and  this  fact 
has,  in  a  great  measure,  done  away  with  the  necessity 
of  a  study  of  the  science  of  handrailing  by  every  work- 
man  who  aspires  to  be  a  stairbuilder  and  handrailer. 
But  while  that  necessity  is  removed  to  a  large  extent, 
the  ambitious  young  workman  should  make  a  success- 
ful attempt  to  master  the  art  of  circular  handrailing, 
as  it  will  open  up  beauties  to  his  mind  he  never  could 
have    appreciated    otherwise,   and   will    broaden    his 
knowledge,  and  enable  him  to  deal  with  knotty  ques- 
tions of  joinery  with  skill  and  speed.    Platform  stairs  are 
easy  to  construct  when  once  the  plan  is  determined,  as 
newels  are  placed  at  the  angles,  thus  doing  away  with 
sweeps  and  curves  in  the  rail,  or  bending  of  the  strings. 
They  are  cheaper  than  stairs  having  circular  strings, 
and  may  be  made  to  have  a  handsome  and  impressive 
appearance.     The   newels   and   balusters   can   assume 
almost  any  size  and  style.     The  stairs  may  have  open 
strings,  or  closed  ones  to  suit  the  style  of  architecture. 
Newels  may  be  massive  or  slight,  "built-up"  or  made 
of  one  solid  piece,  as  may  be  desired;  but  where  the 
newels  are  large,  I  would  advise  they  be  "built  up," 
as  a  solid  newel  is  likely  to  check  and  split  and  get  out 

of  shape. 

99 


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COMMON.SENSE  HANDRAILING 


Stairs  of  the  kind  under  discussion  can  be  made  an 
attractive  fe'  '^ure  in  a  house.  Every  architect  knows 
this;  but  no  inan  can  build  a  flight  that  will  be  com- 
fortable, or  even  safe,  in  a  cramped  or  narrow  hall. 
Stairs  are  exacting  in  their  demands,  and  if  these 
demands  are  not  complied  with  we  shall  be  reminded 
of  the  neglect  every  time  we  use  them.  We  may  resort 
to  make-shifts  (if  inclined  to  do  so)  in  other  parts  of 
the  house,  but  we  cannot  put  off  the  stairs  with  any- 
thing and  say  "it  will  do,"  and  no  coaxing  will  bring 
an  ill-contrived  or  badly-arranged  flight  of  stairs  into 
use  on  any  possible  terms.  A  good  run  is  what  every 
flight  of  stairs  requires.  If  the  run  is  not  long  enough, 
then  we  must  increase  the  height  of  the  risers;  and  the 
rise,  after  it  has  reached  a  certain  point,  becomes 
trying,  then  difficult,  and  at  last  dangerous.  In  many 
houses,  in  almost  all  cheap  houses,  the  rise  is  eight 
inches.  Even  the  back  stairs  should  not  have  a  more 
rapid  rise,  and  for  the  principal  stairs  this  is  wholly 
inadmissable.  The  other  extreme,  a  fault  not  often 
committed,  is  to  have  the  rise  too  low. 

There  are  great  varieties  of  rise  given  to  stairs  for 
various  purposes,  and  rules  have  been  laid  down  for 
calculating  the  proportion  of  tread  to  riser.  A  modern 
writer  has  given  seven  different  proportions  adapted 
for  buildings  of  different  classes.  His  most  ample 
tread  is  12  in.  with  a  5^-in.  riser;  his  next,  ll^  in. 
and  SJi  in.;  then  follow  il  in.  and  6  in.,  I0>^  in.  and 
6j<  in.,  10  in.  and  6^  in.,  g}i  in.  and  6%  in.,  con- 
cluding with  9  in.  and  7  in.  We  may  say  that  a  9-in. 
tread  is  about  the  least  that  is  usually  allowed  in  prac- 
tice when  there  is  any  attempt  made  to  study  ordinary 
comfort,  although  we  have  met  with  8-in.  risers  and 
8-in.  treads  in  suburban  villas,  which,  of  course,  givea 


FOURTH  METHOD 


lOI 


an  angle  of  ascent  of  45  cleg.;  while  in  the  seven  fore- 
going pioportions  this  angle  varies  between  24  deg. 
and  37  deg.  It  is  often  expedient,  however,  to  make 
it  iower  than  24  deg.  With  regard  to  rules  for  calcu- 
lating the  proportions  of  steps,  some  persons  maintain 
that  the  tread  and  riser  added  together  should  equal 
18  in.  This  would  give  13  in.  and  5  in.,  12  in.  and 
6  in.,  10  in.  and  8  in.,  and  g  in.  and  9  in  ,  and  in  the 
two  latter  proportions  the  rise  is  too  great.  Others  say 
that  the  tread  and  riser  multiplied  together  should 
equal  17^  in.,  which  will  give  13  in.  and  about  5  in., 
12  in.  and  5,'^  in.,  10  in.  and  6|  in.,  9  in.  and  ^li  in., 
and  8  in.  and  8^  in.  This  rule  gives  better  results 
th  m  the  former.  Whether  the  risers  are  high  or  low, 
t)  ey  must  all  be  of  a  uniform  height.  Any  departure 
f  om  this  rule  is  always  attended  with  mischievous 
results.  If  all  the  risers  in  a  flight  are  seven  inches, 
with  one  exception,  and  that  one  is  either  six  or  eight 
inches  high,  every  person  who  passes  up  or  down  will 
trip  at  that  step.  No  matter  how  often  he  goes  up  or 
down,  he  will  always  trip  at  that  point. 

The  practical  difficulties  in  arranging  stairs  to  rise 
from  one  level  to  another  with  a  sufficient  tread  and  a 
commodious  headway  are  often  great,  while  in  con- 
struction awkward  problems  are  frequently  suggested 
from  the  necessity  of  carrying  flights  of  stairs  over 
spaces  where  they  can  neither  be  well  fastened  into 
the  side  walls  nor  supported  from  below.  Not  only  do 
these  practical  difficulties  have  to  be  considered  in 
every  class  of  staircase,  from  that  of  a  cottage  to  that 
of  a  palace,  but  in  all  situations  where  the  stairs  form 
a  conspicuous  feature  and  where  there  is  any  pretense 
nt  ornamental  building,  its  artistic  treatment  affords 
ample  scope  for  the  skill  of  the  architect  or  the  work- 


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COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 


man.  Stairs  of  this  kind,  to  be  effective,  should  be 
wide  between  the  wall  and  rail,  with  one  or  two  flats 
or  landings.  The  rail  must  be  heavy,  the  balusters 
something  more  than  "broom  handles,"  and  at  the 
foot  let  there  be  a  newel,  on  which  the  architect  may 
display  his  taste  and  skill.  It  need  not  be  elaborate, 
but  it  is  a  conspicuous  object,  and  it  should  have 
something  more  to  recommend  it  to  our  notice  than 
the  cheap  and  stereotyped  forms,  which  may  be  bought 
at  the  turner's  by  the  hundred.  As  a  first  and  most 
essential  principle,  a  staircase  should  present  an  invi- 
ting aspect,  suggestive  of  an  easy  ascent,  not  of  a 
painful  and  laborious  effort  at  climbing.  Therefore, 
even  if  it  were,  as  a  rule,  possible,  which  it  rarely  is, 
to  arrange  several  flights  in  a  direct  line,  it  would  be 
undesirable  to  do  so;  for,  however  imposing  the  effect 
of  such  an  arrangement,  it  could  not  but  oppress  those 
about  to  ascend  it  with  an  uncomfortable  sense  of 
coming  fatigue,  suggested  by  the  prospect  of  one  long 
ascent,  broken  only  by  landings  which  would  be  lost 
to  view  from  the  bottom. 

It  is  pleasant  to  mount  up  stairs  properly  planned, 
especially  if  they  are  well  lighted  and  ventilated. 
And  if  on  the  first  landing  the  architect  can  contrive  a 
bay,  deeply  recessed  and  provided  with  seats  beneath 
the  wide  windows,  he  will,  by  so  doing,  add  another 
charm  to  the  house.  Here,  those  who  are  advanced  in 
years,  and  who  find  it  difficult  to  climb  one  flight  at  a 
time,  may  rest  awhile,  or  sit  and  chat.  Here  the  little 
ones  love  to  pause  in  their  passage  up  and  down,  and 
here  flowers  growing  in  a  jardiniere  in  front  of  the 
window,  may  send  their  fragrance  through  the  house. 
Stairs  may  be  of  wood,  stone,  marble,  brick,  terra 
cotta,  iron,  or  iron  and  concrete.     The  arrangement 


FOURTH  METHOD 


los 


f^    iiii 


and  construction  of  staircases  forms  one  of  the  most 
important,  and  often  most  difficult  branches  of  archi- 
tecture and  building. 

Modern  stone  steps  are  either  solid  or  formed  with 
treads  and  risers.     It  was  the  latter  mode  of  construc- 
tion that  probably  first  suggested  the  nosing  which  is 
found   in   the   buildings   of    the    Italian    renaissance, 
erected  during  the  sixteenth  century      It  is  quite  clear 
that   stone  stairs  of    the  tread-and-riser  construction 
require  firm  support  at  each  end,  and    it  is  for  this 
reason  that  they  are  seldom  used  except  in  basements. 
Most  stairs,  whether  in  stone  or  marble,  are  usually 
solid,  and  depend  for  support  upon  being  tailed  into 
the  wall   at  one  end,   and  being  connected  together 
with  bird's-mouth  joints,  by  which  means  each  step  is 
sustained  in  position  by  the  one  immediately  below  it, 
so  that  the  thrust  of  an  entire  flight    is   transierred 
from  top  to  bottom.     In  wide  flights— those  exceeding 
4  ft.  in  width— it  is  often  expedient  to  strengthen  the 
connection  of  the  stairs  by  means  of  a  flat  bar  of  rolled 
iron  fixed  to  their  ends  with  small  bolts  let  into  the 
stone  and  run  with  lead.     Sometimes  a  bar  of  rolled  L 
iron  is  placed  so  that  its  bottom  flange  is  under  the 
soffit  of  the  stairs;  and  sometimes  it  maybe  connected 
with  the  balusters  when  they  are  affixed  to  the  outside 
of  the  stairs,  after  a   French   method   that  has  been 
introduced  with  the  object  of  gaining  more  space  upon 
the  stairs;  but,  in  any  case,  it  is  not  difficult  to  impart 
an  ornamental  character  to  the  iron  stiffening  bar,  or 
to  the  screw  nuts  that  hold  it  in  position.     When,  as 
in  some  cases,  the  stairs  cannot  be  tailed  in  a  wall  at 
either  end,  it  is  common  to  pin  them  in  between  the 
flanges  of  a  rakiug  liveted  girder  or  a  roiled  I  joist  of 
channel  iron. 


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COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 


The  variety  of  materials  now  used  for  staircases  has 
given  rise  to  many  different  methods  of  construction. 
Many  modern  methods  of  treatment  have  been  derived 
from  stone  forms,  for  the  oldest  specimens  that  remain 
to  us  from  antiquity  are  of  stone.  The  Greeks  and 
Romans  appear  to  have  treated  the  staircase  purely  as 
a  utilitarian  accessory  to  a  building,  and  not  as  in  any 
way  to  be  regarded  from  an  aesthetic  standpoint. 
Among  all  the  builders  of  antiquity  the  Assyrians  and 
Persians  best  understood  the  imposing  effect  produced 
by  vast  flights  of  steps,  as  may  be  gathered  from  the 
remains  at  Nineveh  and  Persepolis.  But  the  ancient 
modes  of  construction  were  very  simple.  For  the 
most  part  the  flights  of  steps  were  carried  upon  solid 
masses  of  masonry,  or  occasionally  upon  vaults,  when 
the  space  underneath  was  to  be  utilized.  The  steps 
were  perfectly  plain,  without  nosings,  and  the  modern 
bird's-mouth  joint  was  conspicuous  by  its  absence. 

Much  the  same  may  be  said  of  mediaeval  staircases. 
In  earliest  forms  of  spiral  turret  staircases,  a  solid 
newel  of  masonry  was  built  up  in  the  center,  and  from 
this  to  the  walls  was  thrown  the  vaulting,  which  was 
carried  up  in  a  spiral  form,  and  upon  which  the  steps 
were  laid  without  being  bonded  either  into  the  newel 
or  the  wall.  In  later  examples  the  steps  were  tailed 
into  the  walls,  while  their  smaller  ends,  being  cut  to 
circular  form  upon  plan,  were  built  one  upon  the  other, 
so  that  they  actually  formed  the  newel. 

While  these  few  hints  regarding  the  uses  of  materials 
other  than  wood  for  construction,  are  presented  here- 
with, it  is  not  the  province  of  this  essay  to  deal  in  other 
than  wood  in  the  construction  of  stairs.  In  another 
volume,  stone,  iron,  concrete  and  terra  cotta  will  be 
talked  over  in  their  relations  to  stair  constructions. 


FOURTH  METHOD 


los 


In  the  following,'  pages  I  have  endeavored  to  show 
by  illustrations  and  descriptions  a  variety  of  designs 
for  platform  stairs,  so  that  almost  any  taste,  or  any 
style  of  building  may  be  satisfied.  I  have  also  added 
some  useful  memoranda,  which  1  feel  assured  will  be 
welcomed  by  all  workmen  having  stairs  to  build. 

Most  of  the  illustrations  presented  are  from  Ameri- 
can examples,  though  I  have  thought  it  proper  to 
exhibit  a  few  of  the  curious  or  elaborate  platform 
stairs  from  the  Old  World,  not  so  much  as  specimens 
to  follow,  but  simply  to  show  to  what  extent  cf  labor 
and  ornamentation  the  old  workmen  went  to  satisfy 
their  taste. 


1 


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FOURTH  METHOD 

EXAMPLES   OF   PLATFORM    STAIRS 

It  may  seem  lost  effort  to  tell  the  workman  that  one 
of  the  first  requisites,  and  the  most  important  one,  is 
that  the  carriage  of  a  flight  of  stairs  be  built  strongly 
and  with  timbers  of  such  a  dimension  that  any  ordinary 
weight  that  may  possibly  be  taken  over  the  stairs  will 
not  cause  the  timbers  or  strings  to  "sag"  or  bend  under 
the  load.  Often  pianos  are  taken  upstairs,  and  these 
may  have  a  weight  of  anywhere  from  350  to  1,000 
pounds,  or  more,  and  this  stair,  with  the  weight  of 
four  or  five  men  added  who  will  be  required  to  assist  in 
getting  one  of  these  bulky  instruments  upstairs,  will 
increase  the  weight  considerably.  The  framework  of 
a  stairway  should  be  made  to  resist  a  stress  of  not  less 
than  two  tons.  Strings  for  flights  having  ten  or  less 
treads,  should  never  be  less  than  14  in.  wide  and  I'/s 
in.  thick,  and  these  should  be  re-ei;forccd  by  rough-cut 
strings  10  or  12  in.  wide  and  2  in.  thick.  One  of 
these  rough  strings  should  be  spiked  or  screwed  to  the 
inside  of  the  open  string,  and  another  similarly  fast- 
ened to  the  wall  or  housed  string,  and  one  or  two  of 
these  strings  should  be  placed  at  equal  distances 
between  the  open  and  wall  strings.  The  rough  strings 
should  fit  accurately  against  both  tread  and  riser  in 
order  to  get  the  best  results.  Flights  of  greater  length 
should  have  stouter  strings  and  more  bearing  pieces. 
If  the  outside  string  is  supported  with  a  partition  run- 
ning to  the  floor,  or  the  stairs   have  a  cross  partition, 


FOURTH  METHOD 


107 


half  way  in  their  length,  »hen  the  timbers  need  not  be 
so  heavy;  but,  it  is  always  better  to  err  on  the  side  of 
strength  and  rigidity  than  to  have  the  frame  of  a  8t;.ir 
weak  and  frail. 


Twrned  drop     ^ 


Fig.  f. 


Fi.AlFORMS 


When  the  plan  of  the  stair  will  permit,  it  is  always 
better  to  have  a  platform.     A  platform  built  on  postt 


1  ii 


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loS         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

which  reach  down  to  a  solid  foundation  at  the  lower 
floor,  or  l)clow,  if  necessary,  is  always  the  best.  Posts 
may  be  halved  at  the  top  to  receive  joists  or  joist- 
bearers;  or  timbers  may  be  tenoned  into  the  posts.  I 
prefer  halving,  however,  as  then  we  get  thr  whole 
strength  of  the  bearing  pieces.  In  all  cases,  provision 
must  be  made  for  the  proper  fastening  of  the  newel 


posts  at  the  corners,  and,  if  circumstance"  will  admit 
of  it,  he  shank  of  the  newel  post  should  run  down 
below  the  timbering  of  the  platform  as  shown  at  A, 
Fig.  I,  and  on  larger  scale  above  the  newel.  In  this 
figure  the  string  is  shown,  also  the  lines  of  balusters. 
There  in  a  sub-rail  in  this  example,  which  is  placed  just 


FOURTH  METHOD 


109 


above  the  liii«-  of  iiosinj^rs.  A  device  o£  this  kind  allows 
a  l<ri)om  or  bru-h  t..  sweep  clear  through  to  end  «)t 
^le|),  to  clean  off  dust  with«)ut  being  obstructed  by 
biliisters.  The  platform  is  shown  at  N  which  may  be 
coniimied  to  suit  conditions.  A  lower  platform  which 
may  belong  to  the  same  stairs  is  shown  at  Fig.  2. 
Here  I  show  the  drop  of  the  newel  A,  reaching  down 
further  than  the  one  in  Fig.  I.  The  platform  N  may 
be  extended  to  any  length  suitable  to  the  requirements. 
Newels  running  down  irt  the  angle  formed  by  the  angle 
cf  the  apron  of  the  platform  and  the  outside  string, 
should  be  well  secured  to  both  the  timber  of  the  plat- 
form and  the  string.  This  can  best  be  done  by  insert- 
ing a  handrail  bolt  in  the  newel  and  leaving  the  end 
pruijecting  out  to  pnss  through  the  timber,  and  another 
one  should  be  placed  so  that  it  will  pass  through  the 
string.  Sometimes  the  newel  is  placed  in  position 
before  the  string  is  put  up,  and  the  center  line  of  bal- 
usters is  made  to  coincide  wi'n  the  center  line  of  the 
newel.  This  is  an  excellent  method  if  the  stairs  are 
open  under  the  string,  for  then  the  "drop"  can  hang 
below  the  apron  and  string.  The  newel  can  be  gained 
out  to  the  proper  depth  over  the  joists,  and  the  apron 
can  be  fitted  in  nicely  to  build  against  the  shank  of  the 
newel  post. 


§i 


IH 


AN   OPEN    NEWEL   STAIK 

1  show,  at  Fig.  3,  the  ground  plan  of  an  open  newel 
stair  having  two  Izmdings  and  closed  s  -ing?.  The 
dotted  lines  show  the  carriage  timbers  a  d  trimmers, 
also  the  lines  of  risers;  while  the  treads  are  shown  by 
complete  lin^s.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  strings  and 
trimmers  of  the  first  landing  are  framed  into  the  shank 


la. 


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no         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

of  the  second  newel  post  which  runs  down  to  the  floor, 
while  the  third  newel  drops  below  the  apron  and  has  a 
turned  and  carved  drop.  This  drop  hangs  below  both 
apron  and  string,  as  shown  in  Fig.  4.  The  lines  of 
treads  and  risers  are  shown  both  by  dotted  lines  and 
etched  sections.     The  position  of  the  carriage  timbers 


Fig-  3- 

is  shown  both  in  landings  and  run  of  stairs,  the  pro- 
jecting ends  of  tia^bers  are  supposed  to  be  resting  on 
the  wall.  A  scale  of  the  plan  and  elevation  is  attached 
to  plan. 

Fig.  4  shows  the  elevation   in  full  with  a  story  roci 
shown  on  the  right,  with  the  number  of  risers  spaced 


11     I 


FOURTH  METHOD 


III 


off.     Design  of  newel,  spandrel,  framing  and  paneling 
is  shown,  also  "raking"  balusters. 
Only  the  central  carriage  timbers  are  shown,  but  in 


Fig.  4. 

a  stair  of  this  width  there  ought  to  be  two  other  tim- 
l)t'r<s,  not  perhaps  so  heavy  as  the  central  one,  yet 
strong  enough  to  be  of  service,  also  to  help  carry  the 


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COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 


lath  or  paneling  which  may  be  necessary  in  comple- 
ting the  soffit.  The  strings  being  closed,  the  butts  of 
the  balusters  must  rest  on  a  sub-rail  which  caps  the 
upper  edge  of  the  outer  string. 

The  first  newel  should  pass  through  the  lower  floor 
and  should  be  secured  by  bolts  to  a  joist,  as  shown  in 
the  elevation,  so  as  to  insure  solidity.  The  rail  is 
attached  to  the  newels  in  the  usual  manner  with  hand- 
rail bolts  or  other  suitable  device. 


Fig.  5. 


Fig.  e. 


The  sketches  shown  at  Figs.  5  and  6  exhibit  the  end 
of  the  bottom  step,  which  is  semi-circular  or  "bull- 
nosed,"  also  an  end  view  of  the  lower  tread  and  riser 
with  the  shank  of  the  newel  passing  through.  The 
position  of  the  newel,  with  regard  to  the  step,  is  shown 
by  the  dotted  lines  in  Fig.  5. 

The  block  B  may  be  made  from  one  solid  piece  of 
stuff  or  built  up  in  layers  and  the  face  covered  with  a 
thin  veneer,  as  shown  in  the  illustration;  and  this  finish 
is  then  the  face  of  the  riser.  The  nosing  on  the  tread 
is  worked  on  the  end  of  the  stuff,  and  the  cove  under 
the  tread  is  vvorkcd  on  the  eiid  uf  the  stuff,  and  the 
cove  under  the  tread  may  be  worked  from  the  solid, 


•i     ! 


FOURTH  METHOD 


IIS 


'Mf 


i 


or  it  may  be  sprung  in  place  if  made  of  some  elastic 
wood  and  steamed. 

An  examination  of  Fig.  4  will  reveal  the  fact  that 
blocks  XXX  are  glued  or  otherwise  fastened  in  the 
angles  formed  by  the  junction  of  the  treads  and  risers. 
These  blocks  may  be  beveled  off  as  shown,  or  they  may 
be  left  simply  as  square  blocks.  This  device  is  to  give 
rigidity  to  the  work.  These  blocks  should  be  put  in 
between  the  carriage  pieces,  as  the  latter  should,  when 
possible,  fit  snug  to  both  tread  and  riser  and  go  well 
into  the  angles. 

Sometimes  i  n 
landing  stairs  the 
rail  finishes  in  a 
cap  at  the  top  of 
the  newel;  in  such 
cases,  the  cap  is 
turned,  having  its 
edge  made  in  the 
same  shape  as  the 
edge  or  moulding 
of  the  rail,  as 
shown  at  Fig.  7. 
When  this  is  the 
case,  some  special 
manipulation  o  f 
the  cap  is  neces- 
sary to  have  it  fit 
properly,  as  shown 
at  Fig.  8.  The 
method  of  finding 
the  proper  shape 
ul  the  cap  is  shown 
at    Fig.    g.      The 


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COMMON-SENSE  HANDRATLING 


upper  section  shows  the  rail,  which  is  supposed  to  be 
the  full  size;  the  lower  section  shows  the  cap,  which 
may  be  of  any  reasonable  diameter.  Draw  the  plan  of 
the  cap  as  shown,  then  a  section  of  the  rail,  then  draw 


rm 


^ 


Fig.  9. 


Fig.  8. 


the  joint  or  miter  lines  as  shown,  and  from  the  outside 
points  of  these  lines  draw  parallel  lines  with  the  central 
line  A.  Divide  into  spaces  as  shown  by  the  dotted 
lines,  then  at  the  junction  with  the  miter  lines  describe 
semi-circles  as  shown,  until  they  cut  the  line  of  diam- 
eter. Square  down  these  lines  and  from  them  prick 
off  the  points  as  figured,  and  through  these  prick  points 
describe  the  curves  and  squares;  then,  when  miterod 
with  the  rail,  'here  will  be  no  over 
wood  to  remove. 

To  cut  the  miter  on  the  cap. 
first  prepare  a  cutting  block  simi- 
lar to  that  shown  at  Fig.  10,  which 
may  be  made  from  a  piece  of  -sivSi 
Fig.  10.  2  or  3   in.  thick   and   planed  true 


F^yto 


FOURTH  METHOD 


115 


on  thj*  face.  Gauge  a  center  line  upon  it  and  in.->ert  a 
dowel  that  will  fit  snugly  in  a  corresponding  hole  in 
the  cap.  Next  saw  two  kerfs  in  the  block  parallel  with 
the  gauge  line,  as  shown  at  aa,  and  at  a  distance  from 
the  latter  equal  to  the  square  distance  of  the  miter 
line  a  from  the  center  of  the  cap  c.  Fig.  8.  The  depth 
of  the  saw  cuts  below  the  edge  of  the  cap,  which  is 
shown  by  the  dotted  line  in  Fig.  10,  is  made  equal  to 
the  length  of  the  miter  line,  as  shown  in  the  plan  Fig.  8. 
The  width  of  the  rail  is  marked  upon  the  edge  of  the 
cap.  The  latter  is  then  placed  on  the  dowel  and  turned 
around  until  one  of  the  marks  lies  against  one  of  the 
saw  kerfs.  The  saw  is  then  run  down  to  the  bottom  of 
the  cut,  and  the  cap  turned  until  the  other  line  lies  on 
the  other  kerf,  when  the  saw  is  again  run  in  to  meet 
the  first  cut,  which  finishes  the  miter  complete.  The 
foregoing  method  is  the  best  and  most  economical  for 
fitting  the  rail  to  the  cap,  but  sometimes  it  is  required 
that  the  joint  shall  be  a  true  miter,  which  may  necessi- 
tate some  different  treatment  in  forming  the  section  of 
the  cap.  This  is  shown  in  Fig.  7,  where  full  directions 
are  given  for  laying  out  the  lines  for  this  kind  of  a  cap 

STAIR    STRINGS 

It  is  hardly  necessary  tor  me  to  say  much  about 
forming  a  pitch  board  by  which  stair  strings  are  laid 
out,  but  as  many  of  the  readers  of  this  book  will  be 
beginners  in  the  art  of  stair-building,  it  may  be  well  to 
devote  a  small  space  to  this  subject. 

A  pitch  board  is  simply  a  piece  of  thin  board,  or 
other  suitable  material,  and  is  in  itself  triangular.  It 
is  so  cut  as  to  represent  the  rise  of  the  step  and  width 
of  tread  proper.     Tne  third  or  long  side  being  the 


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iitf         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

"run"  or  "going"  of  the  stair.  A  sketch  of  one  is 
shown  in  the  shaded  portion  of  the  string,  Fig.  li,  and 
its  application.  The  dotted  line  running  through  the 
pitch  board  shows  the  line  of  nosings,  and  the  third 
edge  or  "run"  of  the  board.  The  piece  below  this  line 
O  is  a  gauge:  or  guide  which  is  necessary  to  the  board, 
for  a  quick  laying  out 
of  treads  and  risers.  It 
will  be  seen  that  the 
height  of  the  riser  is 
laid  oU  on  one  edge  uf 


Fig.  !i. 


the  board,  and  the 
width  of  the  tread  on 
the  other.  Its  appli- 
cation to  actual  work 
is  apparent  without 
further   explanation. 


The  string  shown  in  Fig.  ll  exhibits  a  wide  tread  at 
the  bottom,  a  circumstance  that  sometimes  happens — 
though  a  change  of  pitch  should  always  be  avoided 
where  possible — and  the  string  is  widened  out  by  hav- 
ing pieces  glued  to  it,  so  that  it  can  be  "eased-off" 
with  a  gentle  curve,  as  shown.  There  is  also  an  "ease- 
off"  near  the  lower  floor 
line  where  the  base  board 
may  butt  against  it.  This 
string  is,  of  course,  a  wall 
string,  and  is  housed  to 
receive  ends  of  treads  and 
risers.  The  mannerof  hous- 
ing is    shown  at   Fig.  I2, 


FOURTH  METHOD 


"7 


where  the  treads  /  and  the  risers  r  are  shown  in  posi- 
tion and  secured  in  place  by  means  of  wedges,  j;,>, 
I  f^       which  should  be  well  covered  with  good  glue  before 
being  inserted.      Sometimes  treads   are  formed  with 

two  tenons  at  each  end  which 
fit  into  mortises  cut  in  the 
strings.  This,  however,  is 
only  applicable  with  closed 
strings. 

At  Fig.  13. 1  show  a  housed 
string  between  newels.    Here 


n 


Fig.  13- 

the  string  is  double  tenoned  into 
the  shanks  of  hoth  newels,  also 
relished  between  tenons  and 
pinned  into  the  shank.  This 
string  is  made  123^  in.  wide,  which  is  a  very  good 
width  for  a  string  of  this  kind,  and  the  thickness 
should  not  be  less  than  iji  in.  The  upper  newel  is 
made  5'  4"  long  from  drop  to  top  of  turned  cap. 
These  two  strings  are  ii  .^nded  to  be  capped  with  \ 
sub-rail  on  to  which  the  balusters  are  cit  or  mortised 
in.  Generally  a  groove  the  width  of  the  square  of  the 
baluster  is  worked  on  the  top  of  these  sub-iails,  and 
the  baluster  is  cut  to  fit  in  this  groove,  then  pieces  of 


«  11 


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it8         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

stuff  made  the  width  of  the  groove,  and  a  little  thicker 
than  the  groove  is  deep,  are  cut  to  fit  in  snugly  between 
the  squares  of  the  baluster.  This  makes  a  solid  job, 
and  the  pieces  between  the  balusters  may  be  made  of 
any  shape  on  the  top,  either  beveled,  rounded  or 
moulded,  in  which  case  much  is  added  to  the  appear- 
ance of  the  stairs. 

Two  methods  of  arranging  strings  and  carriages  and 
adjusting  ends  against  trimmers  are  shown  at  Figs.  14 
and  15.  The  section  shown  at  Fig.  15  exhibits  a 
method  of  strengthening  the  stair  with  simple  uncut 
strings   placed  against  the  angles  of  the  treads  and 


Fig.  14. 


Fig.  15. 


risers  on  the  underside,  and  having  pieces  of  rough 
boards — ends  up^nailed  to  the  rough  carriage  pieces 
and  made  to  fit  snugly  against  the  underside  of  the 
tread  and  the  inside  of  the  riser  This  method  is  not 
a  commendable  one,  though  much  employed,  as  the 
nails  may  get  loosened  by  the  continual  jar  that  a 
flight  of  stairs  is  subjec  to — a  solid  carriage  piece  is 
much  better  for  the  purpose. 

At  Fig.  16,  I  show  an  example  of  a  cut  and  mitered 
string,  with  a  portion  of  a  tread,  the  end  of  which  is 
mitered  for  return  nosing,  and  dovetailed  to  receive 
ends  of   balusters.      The  other  steps   show   how   the 


FOURTH  METHOD 


119 


string  is  made  and  mitered  to  receive  the  riser  and  the 
tread.  In  the  angle  at  the  bottom  tread  and  risers,  an 
angular  block,  a,  is  shown.  This  tends  to  give  firmness 
to  the  structure.  The  block  is  glued,  bradded,  or 
screwed,  in  place.  A  portion  of  a  string,  partly  fin- 
ished, is  shown  at  Fig.  17.  On  this  string  I  show 
brackets  which  are  about  /^  of  an    inch   thick,   and 


Fig.  16. 

which  arc  planted  on  the  string.  The  brackets  miter 
with  the  ends  of  the  risers,  and  the  ends  of  them 
wlaich  abut  the  miters  should  be  the  same  length  that 
the  riser  is  wide,  as  shown  at  b.  The  treads  must  be 
left  long  enough  to  reach  over  the  edge  of  the  brack- 
ets; and  the  nosings  and  coves  must  also  be  long 
enough  to  cover  the  brackets  as  shown  at  ^  and  b.  The 
projection  of  the  mitered  riser  is  shown  at  a. 


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tao         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILINO 


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Fig.  17. 


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11    III 


IN 


Fig.  18. 


FOURTH  METHOD 


til 


An  i-nd  portion  of  a  cut  and  mitered  string,  with  a 
part  of  string  removed,  is  shown  at  Fig.  l8  in  order 
to  give  an  idea  of  the  method  of  tonstruction.  ( )  and 
C  show  the  returned  nosings,  and  thr  manner  in  which 


the  bracket  terminates  on  the  nosing;  D  shows  a  rough 
bracket  nailed  on  a  rough  carriage  piece  which  is  a 
device  intended  to  take  the  place  of  a  solid  cut  car- 
riage string.  The  balusters  are  shown  as  being  dove- 
tailed into  ends  of  treads. 

The  illustration  show  at  Fig.  19  is  simply  a  plan  of 
Fig.  18,  and  shows  the  position  of  the  string,  bracket, 
riser  and  tread.  The  manmr  of  mitering  the  riser, 
string  and  bracket  is  shown  at  ^,  and  C  shows  the  miter 
of  the  nosing  at  the  angle  of  the  step. 

The  return  nosings  should  be  fastened  to  the  tread 

either  by  dowels  or  by  a  feather  or  slip  tongue.     The 

«— ' ■ — 2  manner  of  doweling  the  nosing 

/  j0  is  shown  at  Fig.  20.    Slot  screw- 

UkuMmfl'  '"« "''>'  'UtSv  'k  '.'he 

wi*'  purpose,     particularly     11     ine 

^-j^g^,:^.,.^- .   -j^fj^      treads  are  hardwood    and    the 

k  °*  "^     W        work  is  to  be  polished.     These 

Fig.  20.  screws  are   first   screwed   solid 

into  the  nosing— that  end  of  the  l)olt  being  cut  like 

aa  ordinary  wood  screw— and  a  pocket  or  pockets  are 


f  1; 


it 


i  l.-l 


::| 


i    J 


I 


t  ^ 


i  .' 


t     i 


M 

i    s 


U' 


I?!  9 

I 


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«  !  I'  i  <( 


laa 


COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 


Fig.  21. 


cut  in  on  the  underside  of  the  tread,  to  receive  a  nut, 
which  is  used  to  tighten  up  the  joint  when  the  nosing 
is  put  in  place,  just  as  the  butts  of  handrails  are  fast- 
ened together.  The  nosing  shown  at  Fig.  21  is  fastened 
to  the  end  of  the  tread  by  aid  of 
a  tongue  or  feather  which  is  glued 
into  a  groove  made  in  the  end  of 
the  tread  and  left  to  project  the 
proper  distance.  The  nosing  is 
also  grooved,  as  show.i  in  Fig.  21,  and  which  corre- 
sponds with  the  groove  in  the  tread;  the  feather  is  glued, 
after  which  the  nosing  is  driven  in  place  while  the  glue 
is  warm.  Many  workmen  put  in  these  feathers  with 
the  grain  of  the  wood  "on  end."  that  is,  with  the  grain 
in  the  feather  at  right  angles  to  the  grain  in  the  nosing. 
This,  I  think,  makes  the  better  job.  On  cheap  stairs 
the  nosing  is  simply  nailed  on,  the  heads  of  the  nails 
":et"  and  the  r-Mlhotes  ifterward  puttied  up. 

A  very  good  method,  though  rather  costly,  of  con- 
necting  tread,  riser   and  cove,  is   shown   at   Fig.  22, 


Fig.  22. 


where  the  cove  is  glued  into  a  groove  made  in  the 
tread.  When  the  work  is  put  together  the  cove  is 
braded  to  the  riser,  which  ties  the  tread  dowa  solid  to 


FOURTH  METHOD 


«»s 


the  riser.  The  completed  work  is  shown  at  Fig.  23. 
the  lower  tread  a  having  the  riser  tenoned  into  the 
tread.  At  h  the  tread  is  screwed  from  below  to  the 
edge  of  the  riser.    This  makes  strong  work.    The  usual 


Fig.  24. 


Fig.  J 5. 

method  of  building  a  step  is  shown  at  Fig.  24.  Here 
the  riser  is  tongued  into  the  tread  above  and  runs 
down  below  the  lower  tread,  but  fits  close  to  its  edge 
to  which  it  is  nailed  as  shown  in  the  upper  portion. 

At  F.^.  25,  I  show  a  quick  method  of  marking  the 
ends  of  the  treads  for  the  dovetails  for  balusters.  The 
templet  marked  a  is  made  of  some 
thin  stuff,  preferably  zinc  or  hardwood. 
The  dovetails  arc  marked  cut  as  shown, 
and  the  intervening  spaces  are  cut  out, 
showing  the  dovetail  portions  solid. 
The  templete  is  then  nailed  or  screwed 
to  a  gauge  block,  e,  when  the  whole  is 
ready  for  use.  The  method  of  using  is 
shown  in  the  illustration. 

At  Fig.  26,  I  ^how  an  exceedingly 

good  method  *>{  fixing  balusters  before 

the  rail  is  p        n.     A  thin  bar  of  iroc. 

Fig.  26.        D,  is  spaced  off  and  drilled,  with  the 


if  I: 


I 

i      ill 

!'   Ill 


i  = 


iAUM 


ir 


r    \ 


111  !  ^ 

'lis 


I  t 


ill 

111 

\  \  ' 


■■        9    i    i 
!     i     - 

1  M^ 
1  iin 


t:   ; 


r' 


194         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

sm^il  hold  over  the  center  of  the  baluster.  Screws  or 
nails  are  then  driven  into  the  baluster  as  shown, 
through  the  holes  in  the  iron.  The  rail  is  grooved  to 
suit  the  thickness  of  the  iron  bar  and  laid  on  as  shown. 
Holes  should  be  drilled  here  and  there  between  the 
balusters,  and  screws  put  through  them  into  the 
wooden  rail,  which  makes  the  whole  work  very  solid. 
The  iron  bar  should  just  be  the  width  of  the  balusters, 
and  the  groove  in  the  wooden  rail  should  be  deep 
enough  to  admit  of  the  whole  thicKness  of  the  metal. 
Often  the  bottom  tread  of  a  stair  takes  a  quarter 
turn  and  finishes  against  tht  base  of  the  newel  post. 
When  thi?  happens,  some  special  work  on  the  riser, 
tread,  and  nosing  is  sure  to  be  required.  Fig.  27  shows 
how  the  difficulty  is  dealth  with.     The  riser  is  left  the 


.^''venetF 


whole  lenpth  of  curve  and  return,  but  is  cut  out  where 
the  curve  occurs  and  thinned  down  to  a  quarter  of  an 
inch.  A  solid  block,  as  shown,  is  fastened  to  the  floor 
in  the  proper  place,  being  curved  to  the  right  shape. 
The  newel  is  put  in  position,  but  is  rebated  out  the 
depth  of  t  ise'-,  as  shown.  The  thin  portion  of  the 
riser  is  the=    sceamcd,  glue  is  put  on  the  block,  and  on 


FOURTH  METHOD 


125 


*he  thin  portion  of  the  riser  that  sits  against  the  block, 
...  '.  when  all  is  ready  the  short  end  of  the  riser  is  forced 
in  the  rebaie  shown  in  the  newel,  and  is  gently  bent 
around  the  block  as  will  be  seen.  If  the  work  is  done 
well,  the  job  will  be  complete  and  satisfactory.  Some 
workmeo  kavc  concave  cauls,  or  pieces  of  wood,  cut 

out  to  place 
against  the  face 
of  the  work  and 
wedge  them 
tight  against 
the  curved 
riser,  by  any 
device  that 
might  suggest 
itself. 

An  elevation 

of    the  finished 

step     is    shown 

F'^-2«-  at      Fig.     28, 

where  the  rounded  tread  and  riser  are  seen,  returned 

against  the  newel  post  base. 

The    plan    of 
aportionof  r 

stair,  as  shown  

at    Fig.     29,    is 

given  at  Fig.  30. 

Here  is  seen  the 

ends    of    the 

treads     as     mi- 

tered,   the    let-       -  p. 

tersVVSindicate  ^^"  ^^ 

the  wall  string.  R?»  the  rough  string,  and  OS  the  otrt- 

side  string.     The  miters  of  the  risers  are  shown  at  aa, 


J: 


i,   .; 

■4 


Ml' 


. 


it-    s 


ii 


I  f 


I 

Hi  ! 

Hi  ' 


ill 


i  I 


ia6        COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

which  gives  the  miters  as  being  cut  against  the  string. 
The    square    spots   shown   at   B,    B,    B,    B,   are    tbe 


^ 


^j.m 


Fig.  30. 


f  11 

-    t  ! 


u 

H    I 

i  I 


I  \ 


i 
!; 
il 

i:  ■ 


1'^ 


dovetail  moftises  for  ends  of  the  balusters.  Fig.  29 
simply  shows  the  string  receiving  the  treads  and  return 
nosings. 

The  illustration  shown  at   Fig.  31  represents  a  por- 
tion of  a  flight  of  stairs,  having  cut  strings,  S,  S,  on 

each  side.  The  tread  is 
shown  at  /  and  the  riser 
at/>.  These  are  a  cheap 
kind  of  stair  and  are 
nailed  together.  This 
class  of  stair  is  gener- 
ally intended  to  fit  in 
between  walls  or  parti« 
tions,  the  strings  being 
spiked  to  studding  or 
to  beard  timbers  or 
wood  bricks,  as  the  cabc  may  be. 


FOURTH  METHOD 


127 


jn. 


HOW   TO    DETERMINE    THE    RISE    AND   GOING   OF   A 
FLIGHT    OF    STAIRS 

I    have    taken    the    following    from    Ellis'    Practical 

Treatise  on  Joiner's  Work,  because  it  seems  to  me  to  be 

about  the  best  thing  written  on  the  subject,  at  least, 

the  best  I  have  come  across.     "The  amount  of  going 

and  rise  given   deuends  chiefly   upon   the  amount  of 

floor  space  allotted  to  them,  and  upon  the  height  of  the 

story;  but  subjec.  to  these  restrictions,  there  is  room 

for  considerable  variation.    To  obtain  a  stair  that  shall 

not  be  fatiguing  or  awkward  to  ascend  or  descend,  the 

going  should  bear  a  certain  ratio  to  the  rise.     Various 

methods  have  been  proposed  bj  writers  on  the  subject 

to  obtain  the  ratio,  of  which  the  following  are  the  best 

known  and  most  practiced: 

"I.  It  is  assun-ed  that  the  average  length  of  step  in 
walking  on  the  level  is  24  in.,  and  that  it  is  twice  as 
difficult  or  fatiguing  to  climb  upward  as  it  is  to  walk 
forward.  From  these  premises  it  is  deduced  that  one 
going  one  step  forward,  plus  two  rises  or  steps  upward, 
should  equal  24  in.,  which   put   in  the  form  of  a  rule 

becomes, 

''To Find  the  Rise  When  the  Coin {^ Is  A'//^tc7/.-  Subtract 
the  given  going  from  24  in.,  and  divide  the  remainder 
by  2  for  the  rise. 

"To  Find  the  Goi'isr  When  the  Rise  Is  /sTw^tc;/.— Multiply 
the  given  rise  by  2,  and  subtract  the  product  from  24. 
The  remainder  is  the  proportionate  going  required. 

"2.  The  product  of  the  going  and  rise  multiplied 
together  is  to  equal  66.  Example:  Going  11  m. 
X  6  in.  =  66,  and  7  in.  rise  x  yf  in.  =  66.  Rule  by  this 
method:  Divide  66  by  the  given  rise  or  going  to  ascer- 
tain the  proportionate  going  or  rise. 


.M; 


!i; 


■      51. 
I      i 


f'fil 


.    \ 


m 


i 

if 

')' 

. 

:  J 

i] 

'1 

1 1 

il 

1 

ii! 


i   : 
i    ■ 


t 

u 


I  F 


128         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILINQ 

"3.  Assume  12  in.  going  and  5  J^  in.  rise  as  a  standard 
ratio.  To  find  any  other,  for  each  addition  of  yi  in. 
to  the  rise,  subtract  I  in.  from  the  going.  Example: 
Rise  6  in.,  going  II  in.;  rise  7  in.,  going  9  in.  It  will 
be  noted  that  by  this  method  the  sum  of  2  rises  plus 
the  going  equals  23,  which  affords  an  easier  stair  than 
the  first-mentioned  method. 

"When  the  total  rise  of  the  stair  is  known,  as  shown 
by  the  story  rod.  Fig.  32,  and  the  approximate  rise  of 

the  step  is  given, 
the  exact  rise  is 
obtained  by  cal- 
culation, thus:  Re- 
duce the  total 
height  to  inches, 
and  divide  it  by 
the  desired  rise. 
If  there  is  no  re- 
mainder, the  divi- 
sor will  be  exact 
rise,  and  the  quo- 
tient will  be  the 
^"  ^  *  number    of    risers 

required.  If  there  is  a  remainder,  again  divide  the 
sum  by  the  quotient,  discarding  the  fraction,  and  the 
result  will  be  the  exact  rise.  For  instance,  let  the 
height  of  the  story  be  10  ft.  6  in.,  and  the  proposed 
riser  6J2  in.  10  ft.  6  in.  =  126  in.  -f-  6j^  in.  -  19  with 
5  remainder;  then  126  in.  -  19  =  0^  in.  full  as  the  rise, 
and  the  proper  ratio  of  going  to  this,  as  found  by  th ; 
first  method,  is  6|x2=  13 14^-24=- lO;'.;;  but  the  exact 
going  is  found  by  dividing  the  plan  into  18  equal  parts, 
as  there  is  always  one  less  trc';i'.l  than  the  number  of 
risers,  in  consequence  of  the  l;"^ding  acting  as  tread 


FOURTH  METHOD 


129 


■1 


for  the  last  riser.  No  arbitrary  rule  can  be  given  for 
the  treatment  of  the  plan,  which  must  be  subject  to 
circumstances.  Every  attempt  should  be  made,  how- 
ever, to  d'spense  with  winders,  w'  ich  should  be  intro- 
duced in  case  of  necessity,  when  they  are  bettei  placed 
at  the  top  of  a  flight  than  at  the  bottom." 

All  stairs  should  be  so  devised  that  not  less  than  6  ft. 
6  in.,  head-room  between  tread  and  trimmer,  is  given, 
but,  as  shown  in  Fig.  32,  it  is  much  better  to  give  this 
much  space  from  the  going  line  to  the  trimmer,  then 


Fig.  33. 
there  will  be  no  danger  of  a  tall  man  striking  the  trimmer 
with  his  hat  on  his  head.  There  will  be  cases,  of  course, 
where  to  give  so  much  space  for  head-room  will  be 
impossible,  but  in  ordinary  stairways  any  less  space  than 
that  determined  will  surely  prove  unsatisfactory. 

VARIOUS  PLANS  FOR  STAIRS 

A  newel  or  Landing  stair  can  be  devised  that  it  will 
serve  the  purpose  for  almost  any  possible  contingency; 


111 
III 


IIP 


3    ii 

if 


11 


!  ■•'I'"    i 


i'  f  I 

;    r  ; 

!      f 

E  I  ^ 

fiH- 


iiil' 


II 


Ul 


130         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

and  in  order  to  make  this  plain  I  show  a  number  of 
plans,  which  I  am  sure  will  prove  of  use  to  the  general 
workman  as  well  as  to  the  stair-builder,  as  they  offer 
hints  and  suggestions  for  dealing  with  almost  every 
condition  and  situation  that  are  likely  to  present  them- 
selves in  preparing  plans  for  stair  runs  which  are 
intended  to  be  of  the  platform  style. 

In  Fig.  33,  I  showed  a  plan  of  a  stair  having  two 
landings,  and  a  circular-ended  step,  with  dotted  lines 
showing  trimmer  timbers.  At  Fig.  34,  I  show  another 
plan  with  the  order  of  going  reversed,  and  with  the 
flight  between   the   landings   having  a  less  number  of 

steps.      Fig.   34  only  shows 

five    risers,     while    Fig.    33 

shows  nine  risers.     The  lat- 

tei  example  also  shows  the 

two  lower  steps  rounded  off 

to  fit  against  the  newel  post. 

''    The  flight  shown  in  Fig.  34 

is    supposed    to  be    built    in 

between    studded    partitions 

while  the  stairs  shown  in  Fig.  33  are  built  in  between 

brick  walls. 

Fig.  34  shows  a  plan  cf  stair  in  the  Time  St.  Depot, 
Liverpool,  England.  This  is  rather  a  peculiar  stair- 
way, as  from  the  third  landing  the  stair  starts  off  in 
two  directions  so  as  to  reach  different  parts  of  the 
building  more  conveniently.  The  plan  shown  at 
Fig.  35  'Uustrates  an  elaborate  entrance  and  stairway 
to  the  National  Gallery  of  Arts,  London.  This  is  a 
peculiar  stairway  inasmuch  as  there  are  two  flights 
leading  up  to  a  large  platform  where  the  upper  flights 
broaden  out  and  carry  the  visitor  to  the  upper  floor 
either  to  the  right  or  to  the  left.     This  is  rather  an 


''E 

J5n 

Fig.  34. 


FOURTH  METHOD 


131 


J 


1  'I 
i  ;l 


Fig.  35- 


Fig.  36. 


ingenious  arrange- 
ment and  might  be 
made  use  of  in  many 
instances  for  public 
buildings. 

An     effective     ar- 
rangement for  a  hall 
stair  is  shown  at  Fig. 
36,    where     a    short 
flight  of  stairs   lead 
to  a  raised  dais  from 
which  a  second  flight 
of    stair   springs,    in 
which  there  are  two 
landings.      The    rail 
over  the  lower  flight 
runs  from  two  start- 
ing newels,  and  fin- 


li 


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M 


f    i 


4 
I  . 


Hi 


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t.       'i      :- 
(         i 


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ri  ^^ 


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1 

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( 

>    — 

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f* 


COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 


ishcs  against  columns  having  their 
base  on  the  plinth  of  the  dais.  The 
windows  in  the  rear  of  the  hall  are 
filled  with  art  glass,  and  the  whole 
is  artistic  and  impressive. 

A  scries  of  sketches  for  plans  is 
shown  at  Fig.  37.  A  shows  a  stair 
with  five  landings,  the  first  step 
being  situated  in  the  center.  B  ex- 
hibits a  similar  stair  with  three  land- 
ings. C  shows  a  stair  with  three 
laiulings  and  two  starting  flights 
leading  to  a  wider  flight  above.  D 
shows  a  flight  with  two  landings 
and  having  but  one  starting  point. 
This  is  a  common  kind  of  stair  and 
much  in  vogue,  but  lacks  architect- 
ural    e"ect;     either  of   the    plans 


B 


i  = 


Wi 


shown  at  A,  B,  C,  is  preferable 
from  an  artistic  point  of  view  than 
the  plan  shown  at  D. 

Another  series  of  plans  is  shown 
at  Fig.  38,  which  show  the  relation 
of  the  stair  to  other  portions  of  the 
house.  No.  I  shows  an  ordinary 
flight  with  landing  at  the  top.  No. 
2  shows  a  flight  having  two  land- 
ings. This  is  an  artistic  flight  and 
is  always  effective.  No.  3  is  some- 
thing like  No.  2,  only  reversed,  and 
is  lighted  by  a  window  on  the  top 
landing.     This  also,  makes  a  \'ery 

effective  stair  for  a  middle  class  dwelling,  and  always 

looks  well  if  finished  in  hardwood. 


l.M, 
lilt 


Fig.  37' 


FOURTH  METHOD 


»33 


I  4  '  '  f 


Another  series  of  plans  is  shown  at  Fig.  39,  with 
parts  of  the  plans  of  the  buildin|,fs  along  with  them. 
No.  I  shows  a  stair  with  two  landinj^s  and  a  "step-off," 
on  the  second  landing,'  at  O,  leading  to  rooms  over  the 
kitchen  which  are  used  for  the  domestics.  No.  2 
shows  a  very  different  arrangement,  the  stairs  being 
built  in  an  inner  hall  which  leads  into  a  conservatory. 
The  plan  shown  at  No.  3  is  very  much  in  vogue  at  the 
present  time,  and  is  really  a  very  good  style  of  stair. 

Avery  good  "lay-out"  for  a  hall  and  stairway  is 
shown  at  Fig.  40.      Er.trance  to  dining-room,  drawing- 


"Dini.iHf'*'! 


X»U 


y-^ir- 


Fig.  38. 


Tizvo  \ 


room  and  library  is  gained  direct  from  the  hall,  and  the 
hall  is  entered  from  the  street  by  way  of  vestibule  as 
shown.  Access  also  to  kitchen  and  outer  offices,  is  also 
obtained  from  the  hall.  The  stairs  are  well  arranged 
with  wide  platform  and  is  well  lighted  by  two  windows 
over  the  platform;  the  windows  being  filled  with  suita- 
ble art  glass.  This  particular  arrangement  of  hall, 
stairs  and  rooms  is  worthy  of  being  thought  over  by 
those  of  my  readers  who  may  have  anything  to  do  with" 
designing  floor  plans. 
I  think  I  have  now  given  a  sufficient  number  of  plans 


■Ma 
■11 


\\ 


f«* 


%  i  i 


1,1  I    ;    .   i 

In      ■ 


I  s  i 

«  - 


134         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

to  enable  the  workman  to  "lay-off"  a  stairway  that  will 
"fit"  in  almost  any  situation,  or  at  least  to  suggest  fo 


i(.»t».*i 


i      ii  !t  S 


■1  i 


p  t  i  1!  ■ 
yii: 


:1      i 


3  111- 


J. 


'  *      L,  I LJu 


Fig-  39- 
him  how  the  difficulty  may  be  worked  out,  so  I  will  now 
leave  this  subject,  feeling  that  I  have  done  it  full  justice. 

NEWELS,  NEWEL    POSTS,    BALUSTERS,   AND    ORNA- 
MENTAL  BALUSTERS 

The  different  styles  of  newels  and  newel  posts  are 
without  number,    and   I  will   act   make  any  attempt 


f  i 


i     -' 


FOURTH  METHOD 


135 


to  describe    or 
illustrate      more         , 
than  will  give  the        | 
workman  an   idea 
of  those  most  com- 
mon in  use  at  thi- 
present  time,  and 
a    few    elaborate 
ones  now  in  exist- 
rnce  that  were  de- 
signcd  and  set  up 
by  old   workmen. 
The      sketch 
>hown  at  Fig.  4* 


1 

i  si 


Fig.  40. 


m 


Fig.  41- 


i '  4  i| 


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l|i 

III 
II 

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5     i?   « 

^  i  j 

^  ll 

.lis 


136         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

ib  .1  design  for  a  large  hall  and  stairway,  and  is  in 
Mercer's  Hall,  London;  the  stair  is  supported  on  col- 
umns, and  shows  three  landings  with  balusters  and 
newels.  It  will  be  noticed  the  long  flight  is  last.  lead- 
ing up  to  the  floor.  This  seems  to  be  a  rule  with 
English  stairways,  as  it  is  aryucd  that  there  is  a  longer 


Fi^^  42. 

rest  at  the  top,  thercfon;  the  long  rest  conns  after  the 
long  rise. 

Another  and  still  more  elaborate  staircase  is  shown 
at  Fig.  42.  This  is  a  stately  and  palatial  class  of  stairs 
and  consists  of  central  ili^^hts  branching  off  into  lateral 
fli''ht-  "UTOunfli'd  1"-'  ■'.  f.'J.'.'Tv  sonarated  bv  eohimns 
or  arches.  This  slow-;  the  main  stairway  and  hall  of 
the  opera  house,  Tari.s,  France. 


Ii  i 


FOURTH  METHOD 


«37 


The  two  latiral  fli^^hts  liail  to  a  spacious  landing', 
from  which  a  wiclt:  ciirviliiUMr-shapcd  llij^ht  of  stairs 
ascends  with  win;^'  stairs  to  tlu:  ^MlUry.  The  elegant 
and  gracfful  lints  of  tiiis  staircase  make  it  almost 
iini(iiie  amonp  great  modern  ex.imples.  The  architect 
has  introdiu:ed  the  rampinp  ari  h  Ix  low  thi;  flights,  and 
liy  curving  the  hahistrades  outward  has  ^'iven  ease  uf 
ascent  and  grace  of  outline.  Round  the  gallery  rise 
coupled  columns  of  red  polished  granite  with  Ionic 
capitals  carrying  entablatures  and  arches,  above  which 
luns  a  rich  truss  cornice.  Over  tlu:  cornice  on  I'ach  side 
are  rows  of  lunettes,  surmounted  by  the  fine  vaulted 
<iuadrangular  domical  ci-iling.  Much  of  the  grandeur 
ot  this  staircase  is  due  to  the  surrounding  gallery, 
which  impressc's  the  visitor  on  ascending.  The  mag- 
nificence of  the  csciiUtr  (VJionneiir  is  heightened  by  the 
arrangement  of  the  minor  stair  and  the  open  loggia  and 
Nestibule.  As  a  model  of  planning  tlie  Pans  Oper;i 
House  stands  jire-eniinent.  It  forms  a  long  rectangle, 
ll.iuked  by  projecting  annexes,  which  give  much  variety 
to  its  length.  There  are  three  parts  or  divisions  sym- 
metrically disposed  to  the  major  and  minor  axes:  the 
stage  occupying  the  wiioK;  breadth  of  the  building;  the 
theater  proper,  or  auditorium,  forming  the  center  of 
the-  building,  and  including  the  grand  staircase;  and, 
lastly,  the  promenade  and  open  lo;.;gia  in  front.  The 
staircase  hall  forms  a  square  and  com[)lcte  structure 
between  the  foyer  or  promenade  and  auditorium,  and 
is  surrounded  by  corridors.  The  plan  of  this  building 
i-  an  instance  of  the  centralizing  mind  of  the  French; 
every  organic  function  is  expressed  in  the  structure. 
In  a  large  public  building  the  staircase  performs  an 
essentially  distinct  and  public  function,  and  too  much 
prominence  cannot  be  bestowed  upon  it. 


'|i| 


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iii. 


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,38         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

The  newels  and  panel-carved  balustrade  shown  at 
Fig  43  exhibits  an  extremely,  rich  example  of  six- 
teenth century  work.  All  this  is  taken  from  work  still 
sUnding  in  a  house  at  Greenwich,  England. 


IN 


Fig.  43. 

The  interior  of  the  house  is  very  nearly  in  its  original 
state.  There  is  a  very  curious  internal  court.  The 
rooms  have  several  good  door-cases  and  ornamental 
plaster  ceilings. 

Fig.  44  is  a  plan  of  the  stairs,  showing  the  double 


&*. 


FOURTH  METHOD 


»39 


approach.  The  sketch,  Fig.  45,  shows  the  half  section 
of  hundrail.  Fig.  46  shows  section  of  the  entablature 
under  steps  with  the  carved  jjendant  under  newel;  and 
Fig.  47  shows  the  top  of  one  of  the  newels  at  large. 
Stairs  finished  in  this  manner  are  J 

coming  into  vogue  again,  and  a  num-  f^  \ 

ber  of  similar  ones  have  been  built  in  (         I 

our  larger  cities  where  cost  was  only 
a  secondary  consideration.  Stairs  of 
this  kind,  to  be  effective,  should  be 
massive  in  appearance;  the  newels 
should  be  heavy  and  the  carving  done 
in    the    solid.      The    newels    in    the 


Fig.  44.  Fig.  45- 

example  shown,  are  rather  light  in  appearance,  bu* 
the  whole  mass  is  quite  impressive.  The  details, 
Figs.  45,  46  and  47,  are  left  to  a  larger  scale  than  the 
main  illustration  so  that  the  workman  may  the  easier 
enlarge  and  copy  them  for  actual  work,  if  he  so  desires. 


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140 


COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 


.i^:*.r 


FOURTH  METHOD 


M» 


A  flight  of  stairs  with  newels,  having  carved  balus- 
trade, strings  and  newels,  is  shown  at  Fig.  48.    This  is  a 


Fig.  48. 

French  design,  and   has  a  very  broad   rail  elabr^rately 
wrought.    The  carved  string  is  a  special  feature  of  this 


t 


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,4,         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

example,  so  also  are  the  square  carved  vases  that  sur- 
«oun?the  newels.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  newe  s 
in  this  example  are  much  larger  in  section  than  those 

shown    m    Fig.    43- 
This    is,    I    think,    a 
gain  in   appearance. 
It    will    be    noticed 
that  the  central  orna- 
ment on  the  finished 
faces  o£   t'^e  newels 
is  partly  turned  and 
partly    carved,    so 
must   necessarily  be 
planted    on,   as    are 
perhaps    the    other 
carvings. 

A  curious  example 
of    a    newel   post   is 
shown    at    Fig.    49- 
which    represents    a 
portion    of    a    stair- 
way   in    the     Hotel 
Cluny,  Paris,  France. 
The  stair  has  a  close 
heavy    rectangular 
string    with     carved 
rosettes    sunk    flush 
on  both  sides.     The 
balusters  are  square 
in    section    and   are 
massive,  with  all  the 

.ouMin.,  worked  on  .h.  .ra^^  ".  .^e  -.^J»J- 

t^:X  :rsr;  ir<iui;;^onUo„  v„  Europe  a„a 


Fig.  49- 


FOURTH   METHOD  143 

Is  really  quitt-  effective.     Another  peculiarity  of  this 


Fig.  50. 

itair  is  the  upper  portion  of  the  newel  which  runs  up 
to   the   ceiling,  and   is  carved   on   its   four  face»  with 


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,44         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

various  emblematical  devices.     This  gives  the  whole 
work  rather  an  odd  appearance. 

A  modern  stairway  with  landings  is  shown  at  Fig. 
50  This  is  in  Colonial  style  and  has  a  very  cozy  and 
inviting  appearance.  This  example  is  taken  from  a 
New  England  house,  and  is  noted  for  the  width  of 
stairway  and  breadth  of  tread;  the  rise  being  little 
more  than  five  inches.  A  peculiarity  of  this  stairway 
is  the  twin  newels  at  the  main  landing.  This  is  a 
departure  from  the  general  practice,  and  is  employed 
here  for 'architectural  effect.  The  newels  are  plain, 
yet  they  are  quite  effective.  The  balusters  are  heavy 
and  placed  pretty  close  together. 

Another  staircase  of  recent  design  and  intended  for 
a  house  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  is  illustrated  at  Fig.  51. 
This  is  in  Colonial  style  and  shows  a  semi-circular 
finish  on  end  of  bottom  tread  and  riser.  Sections  of  the 
newels  are  octagon,  and  the  rails  are  finished  against 
the  newels  with  a  "goose-neck"  curve  and  square. 
The  landing  turns  at  right  angles. 

The  illustration  offers  a  number  of  excellent  sugges- 
tions for  work  other  than  for  the  stairs. 

The  examples  shown  of  stairs  in  place,  I  think,  are 
quite  enough  to  give  the  workman  an  idea  as  to  rheir 
treatment,  so  I  will  now  offer  a  few  designs  for  newels 
and  balusters,  and  a  few  remarks  as  to  their  treatment. 
There  is  no  end  to  designs  for  newel  posts,  yet  it  is 
a  strange  fact   that  when   a  workman    undertakes  to 
design    a  newel  for  any   particular   stair   he  may  be 
building,  he  finds   it  very  difficult  to  decide  upon  the 
exact  design   he  has  in  mind.     This  is  owing  to  the 
'  fact  that  the  workman  possesses  a  certain  amount  of 
art  instinct,  and  his  mind  rcquifcb  for  its  satisfaction 
a  newel  suited  to  the  fitness  of    the  situation.     An 


FOURTH  METHOD 


MS 


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Fig.  51. 


11 


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,46         COMMON-SENSE  HANDR  AILING 

elaborate  stairway  demands  an  elaborate  newel  and 
baluster,  yet  both  must  be  in  keeping  with  the  surround- 
s  as  well  as  in  keeping  with   the  stairway.     A  good 


Fig.  52. 

illustration  of  this  is  exemplified  in  Fig.  51.  where  all 
the  vv-rk  '^erms  to  hav<-  a  like  character.  Another 
illustration   of   the   true   fitness  of   things   is   shown   «n 


FOl'RTH  METHOD 


M7 


Fig:  52.     In  this  ixample  there  is  a  quiet  Quaker-like 
lepose   both   in   stairway  and  finish,  yet  the  observer 
cannot  but  be  impressed  with  the  wealth  and  dignity 
of  the  whole  design.     The  newels  are  comparatively 
plain,  yet  they  are  effective  and   seem   to  be  in  the 
proper  place.     The  whole  stairway,  paneling,  strings, 
newels     and     balusters 
are    in    same    finish    as 
the   woodwork    in    the 
hall.      The    mantel, 
which  is  quite  plain,  is 
chaste  and   in   keeping 
with  the  general  design. 
The   first  step  is  semi- 
circular    at    each     end 
being  returned  against 
the   newels.     This  stair 
and     its    appointments 
are    well    fitted    for    a 
Colonial   house  of    the 
earlier  period;    in  fact, 
it  would  do  for  almost 
any  period  of  Colonial 
architecture. 

The  sketches  shown 
?t  Figs.  53  and  54  ex- 
hibit styles  of  stairs, 
newels  and  balusters  in 

Elizabethan  style.  The  balusters  in  Fig.  53  are 
square,  and  those  running  down  the  strings  are  worked 
on  a  rake;  all  the  members  being  cut  on  the  same 
incline  as  the  "lay"  of  the  string  and  rail.  This  is,  of 
course,  expensive,  l)ut  it  gives  a  fine  appearance  to  the 
stairs.     The   sketch  shown  in   Fig.  54  Js  taken  from 


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,48         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

French  work.  It  shows  three  balusters  on  each  tread 
and  carved  brackets  under  end  of  nosing  of  treads. 
The  plan  of  the  rail  is  shown  in  the  sketch  at  3.  The 
balusters  are  turned  spiral,  as  will  be  seen.  An 
alternate  baluster  is  shown  at  No.  2.  ^ 

I  have  given  the  proportion  of  riser  and  treads  m  an 
earlier  paragraph,  and  it  may  be  well  at  this  point  to 

say    s()mething    re- 
garding the  height 
a    rail     should     be 
from  the  tread.    An 
authority  says  "that 
tin:  hcijifht  from  the 
trt.ads  at  the  nosings 
to  the  ujiper  part  of 
the  handrail  should 
be  2   ft.   7)^   in.;  at 
the    landings     the 
height   of   half    the 
riser     should    be 
added,    this    varia- 
tion   in    the    height 
conducing    to    ease 
and  safety,  a  person 
requiring  more  pro- 
tection  when   he   is 


iMg-  54- 


standing  on  a  landing  than  when  ascending  a  stairs. 
Two  balusters  are  generally  placed  on  every  tread, 
one  on  the  same  plane  as  the  riser.  In  the  old  close 
string  staircases,  where  massive  rectangular  or  turned 
balusters  are  seen,  one  to  each  step  is  common.  Of 
handrails,  the  moulded  is  the  handsomest;  a  roll  mem- 
ber with  cymas  on  each  side,  and  a  deep  rail  moulded 
at  the  sides  with  ovolos  or  astragals,  is  commonly  met 


'r:':i£m.^j^Am^' 


FOURTH  METHOD 


with    in    the    older   examples    and    is    very   effective. 
(See  sketch  54,  2,  above.)" 

In  a  recent  text  book  on  building  construction  the 
student  is  instructed,  before  planning  a  staircase,  to 
know  the  position  of  rloors  and  window?  surrounding, 
so  that  the  steps  and  the  first   and  last  riser  may  be 


F'g-  55- 

fixed  r-.ccordingly.  Advice  of  this  kind  is  very  well 
when  a  staircase  has  to  be  fitted  in  a  given  space;  but  the 
architect,  in  planning  and  designing  the  stairs,  ought 
to  proceed  quite  differently.  He  should  first  plan  his 
stairs,  as  being  the  most  important  thing,  and  then 
arrange  the  hall  thereto.  The  "going"  of  the  flight 
or  the  positions  of  the  first  and  last  risers  should  not 


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,50         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAIUNG 

be  made  to  depend  on  tli-  doorways  and  approaches, 
but  these  shonld  b,'  adjusted  t.:  the  risers.  Given  a 
space  to  design  a  stairs  in,  it.  may  he  a  mode  of  pro- 
ceeding in  some  cases;  but  if  anv  attempt  is  made  to 
give  the  stair.as.^  a  cbara<  t.r  of  it;-,  own.  its  design 
should  be  undertak.  n/..v7  m«  with  the  hall  11.  wh-.ch 
it  is  to  be  placed.     No  architectural   arrangement  can 


Fig.  56. 

be  possible  under  any  other  conditions. 

Another  style  of  stair  is  shown  at  Fig.  55,  having 
turned  newels  at  the  bottom  and  square  ones  at  the 
landings.  This  is  a  purely  Colonial  stair  with  the  con- 
ventional shaped  newel  and  balustc  All  the  rails  in 
of  this  kind  ar--  made  straight  and  are  fastened 
IK  .vels  with  either  tenon  or  stair  bolts  or  both. 


stairs 


into  tn; 


aod  glued. 


FOURTH  METHOD 


»5« 


The  stair  shown  at  Fig.  56  is  taken  from  an  English 
example  of  the  Georgeon  period.  Both  rail  and  newel 
are  heavy,  the  latter  being  surmounted  by  a  carved 
finial.  In  this  example  the  risers  are  low  and  the 
treads  wide,  a  characteristic  of  nearly  all  English 
stairs,  a  custom  well  worthy  of  imitation.  The  heavy 
newels  employed  in  this  stair  give  the  whole  design  a 


Fig-  57- 

massive  and  substantial  appearance.  Of  course,  wheie 
a  stair  c'  this  kind  is  intended  to  be  placed,  it  must 
have  pi.  ./of  room,  as  the  run  or  "going"  will  require 
a  good  stretch  owing  to  great  width  of  tread,  and  the 
hall  or  reception  room  must  be  large  to  accommodate 
the  stairs  and  be  in  keeping  with  them. 

At  F*'-  57,  I  show  a  portion  of  a  stair  having  serpen- 
tine newel  and  baluster.     This  style  of  work  is  very 


fl; 


»  i 


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a 


ill- 


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11 


15a 


COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 


Fig.  58. 

troublesome  and  is  not  much  in  favor,  as  the  results 
are  not  in  proportion  to  labor  expended.     A,  A  shows 


«««; 


FOURTH  METHOD 


153 


Fig.  59- 

the   style   of    rail    which    generally   accompuiiies   this 
style  of  urnamentation. 


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COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 


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Fig.  60. 


The   illustration 
which  is  shown  at  Fig. 
58  is  adapted  from  Car- 
pentry and  Building,  and 
is  a  good  example  of  a 
modern  stair.   The  pan- 
eling between  the  bal 
uster  at  the  top,  marked 
A,  is  perforated.     The 
treatment  of  the  string 
is    somewhat    unusual, 
and   it  will  be  noticed 
that  the  nosings  on  the 
treads  are  worked  to  a 
flat   ogee.       The    drop 
newel    is    quite    plain, 
except  the  top,  which 
is  very  nicely  wrought. 
The  rail  enters  the  top 
newel  with  a  goose-neck 
curve.    The  rosettes  on 
the    string    are    let  in 
flush.      The  section  of 
the  fluted  shaft  of  newel 
is    circular,    as    shown 
by  the  shaded  portion. 
Details    of    rail     and 
treads  are  shown  on  the 
top  of  illustration. 

Another  style  of 
stairs  is  shown  at  Fig. 
59.  A  part  of  the  pan- 
eled wainscot  is  shown, 
also  lower  spandril  and 


FOURTH  METHOD 


Fig.  6l. 


'55 


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X56         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

paneling  of  platform.  Fig.  60  shows  a  portion  of  the 
newel  and  a  baiustor  with  section  of  rail  drawn  to  a 
larger  scale. 


Fig.  62. 


Fig.  63. 


FicT  61  shows  a  built-up  newel,  and  a  couple  of  tread 
ends^and  a  part  of  baluster;  it  also  shows  the  rail  wUh 


FOURTH  METHOD 


157 


ramp  entering  the  newel  post.     The  bottom  tread  is 
partly  returned  against  the  base  of  newel. 

The  example  shown  in  Fig,  62  may  be  put  down  as 
one  seldom  required  in   this  country,  though  I   have 


Fig.  64. 

seen  H,  or  one  very  similar,  employed  on  a  stairway 
leading  to  a  gallery  or  speaker's  platform.  It  is 
almost  a  solid  balustracl('. 

Fig.  63  is  of  a  =.ty!!"  lifts-n   employed    in   and   about 
public  buildings   in   England,    Belgium    and    F"rance. 


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,58        COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILINQ 

In  styles  of  this  kind  there  is  no  regularity;  the  newels 
and  balusters  may  be  of  a  different  pattern  on  each 
flight  of  stairs;  they  offer  an  abundance  of  opportunity 
lor  a  display  of  originality  of  design  on  the  part  of  the 

architect.  . 

The  example  shown  at  Fig.  64  is  taken  from  a  stair- 
way in  St.  Jacob's  Church,    Bruges.     The  newel  is  a 
'  carved     figure 

which  is  said  to 
be     one    of    the 
finest    pieces   of 
carving     in    Eu- 
rope.     The    rail 
and    sub-rail   are 
heavy,    and    the 
spaces     between 
them    are   filled 
with  fine  carvings 
instead  of  balus- 
ters.    The  string 
is    also    carved 
with    a    running 
wreath.       The 
whole  is  made  of 
heavy  oak.     The 
w*rk  is  over  two 
huadred    years 


Fig.  65. 


Fig.  66. 


old  and  is  in  excellent  preservation  at  this  date. 

A  couple  of  commonplace  newels  are  illustrated  at 
Figs.  65  and  66.  The  first  is  simply  a  turned  post  with 
aa  octagon  base  and  flat  facets,  or  neck,  and  surbase. 
The  second  example  belongs  to  the  so-called  Queen 
Anne  style  It  is  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  square 
|y>st  with  a  few  ornaments  worked  on  two  sides  on  a 


si 
I  1 


FOURTH  METHOD 


'59 


rake  with  the  line  of  rail,  and  has  chamfered  corners. 

The  ornaments  are   worked 

square  across  the  lower  and 

upper  faces  from  the  lines  of 

the  raking  ornaments  where 

they  cut  the  angles  of   the 

post. 

The  example  of  newel 
shown  in  Fig.  67  is  from  the 
Cincinnati  school  of  design, 
of  which  Benn  Pitman  was 
principal.  This  newel  was 
carved  by  a  young  lady,  Miss 
Louise  Nourse,  and  is  worked 
to  over  two  inches  relief  pro- 
jecting one  inch  over  the 
border.  The  entire  height 
of  a  newel  is  4  ft.  9  in.  It  is 
illustrated  here  as  an  exam- 
ple of  what  may  be  done  by 
the  ordinary  workman  if  he 
only  apply  himself  to  the 
task.  Newel  posts  offer 
splendid  opportunities  to  the 
carver. 

The  newels  shown  at  Figs. 
68  and  69  are  octagon  in  sec- 
tion and  are  rather  elaborate 
in  finish.  This  style  of 
newel  is  often  made  use  of, 
but  I  confess  I  do  not  like 
them;  they  seem  more  like 
pedestals  than  newels,  and  are  certainly  vulgar  whea 
made  up  with  different  coiored  woods.    They  are  also 


Fig.  67. 


.H 


J  -  • 

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,6o        COMMON.SENSE  HANDRAILING 

unnecessarily  costly,  as  they  entail  considerable  labor 
in  the  making  up;  particularly  .s  this  true  of  Hg.  68. 


Fig.  68. 


Fig.  69. 


as  all  the  mouldings  must  be  m.tered  around  the  cap 
and  the  base.  The  result  is  not  worth  the  labor,  as  the 
architectural  effect  is  disappointing. 


FOURTH  METHOD 


I  will  close  my  remarks  o'l 
newels  and  "wel  posts  hy  offer- 
ing a  few  examplirs  of  (juaint 
design  culled  from  domestic  and 
foreign  sources;  the  e.\ami)le 
shown  at  Fig.  70  is  taken  from 
a  stairway  in  Huston.  This  is  a 
handsome  design,  but  has  one 
fault:  the  central  column  looks 
too  much  like  a  screw.  It  gives 
one  the  impression  of  a  jack  screw 
for  raising  great  weights.  H  this 
column  was  fluted,  the  effect 
would  be  much  more  pleasing. 

The  carved  newel  shown  at  Fig. 
71  is  drawn  from  an  example  at  i 


t6i 


Fig.  71. 


Fig-  70. 

Argeles  on  the  Spanish 
frontier  near  the  Pyrenees. 
The  one  shown  at  Fig.  ^^2  is 
at  Tuz,  a  small  town  near 
Argeles. 

The  three  examples  shown 

^^  at   Figs.   73,   74  and  75   are 

1^    from  the  same  neighborhood 

as  are  those  shown  in  Figs. 

J   71  and  72.     They  are  quaint 

and   odd,  and  are  generally 

placed  in  small  narrow  halls 

dimly  lighted,  and  are  apt  to 


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i6a         COMMON-SENSE  HAN'^RAILING 


Fig.  12. 


startle  a  stranger  when  he  first 
enters.  The  examples  offered  are 
among  the  best,  but  there  are 
some  that  rise  above  the  head, 
and  are  topped  off  with  hideous 
faces  or  grinning  skulls  and  other 
uncanny  things. 

BALUSTERS   OF   VARIOUS    KINDS 

Before  giving  any  designs  for 
balusters,  it  may  be  well  to  say 
something  about  their  arrange- 
ment with  regard  to  their  relation 
of  length,  rail  and  tread.  Souk-- 
times  the  architect  who  desij;ns 
the  stair  may  have  very  decided 
ideas  as  to  the  manner  of  arrang- 


m 


Fig.  73- 


Fig.  74. 


FOURTH  METHOD 


163 


ing  the  balusters,  and  I  give  a  few  examples  arranged 
differently  in  a  stair  having  rail,  strin;,'  and  baluster 
about  the  same.  Fig.  76  shows  one  of  the  ordinary 
methods  where  the  tUinings  arc  all  of  one  length,  and 
thus  all  the  squares 
run  parallel  with 
the  handrail.  In 
Fig.  77  the  turn- 
ings are  of  two 
different  lengths, 
the  upper  squares 
being  all  of  one 
length  and  running 
parallel  with  the 
handrail,  the  bot- 
tom squares  being 
all  the  same  length 
and  thus  each  pair 
being  parallel  with 
their  respective 
treads,  the  middle 
member  of  t  h  e 
turning  usually 
being  arranged  as 
shown.  A  method 
that  is  perhaps 
not  much  in  gen- 
eral use  is  shown 
in   Fig.  78,   where 

the  turnings  are  all  01  the  same  length  and  the  bottom 
squares  equal,  but  the  bottom  ledges  of  the  upper 
squares  of  eacii  baluster  iin  parallel  with  their 
respective  treads,  producing  long  and  short  upper 
squares   alternately,   as  shown.     It   will   be  seen  thai 


It 
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,64         COMMON.SBNSE  HANDRAILINQ 


after  all  the  difference  in  these  examples  is  altogethei 
in  the  lengths  of  the  turned  part  of  the  baluster. 


rt 


FOURTH   METHOD 


i6s 


The  patterns  for  balusters  shown 
at  Fig.  79  may  be  suggestive.  Bal- 
usters of  this  kind  may  be  obtained 
at  any  well-equipped  fartory  any 
length  or  size  that  may  be  rccjuired. 

A  few  Colonial  balusters  and  a 
spiral  newel  are  shown  at  Fit,'.  So. 
This  makes  a  handsome  termination 
for  a  stairway. 


thep-cnaiSiRtj*' 


Fig.  8i. 


F'g-  79- 


■n 


'III 


ii. 


!;'yu 


Fig.  8o. 

I 

Samples  of  spi- 

,  ^H 

ral  balusters,  with 

rail,  newel,  string 

and    drop,     are 

shown  at  Fig.  8l. 

.:.^H 

In    this    example 

the  balusteis  are 

i  i  1    i^H 

x66        COMMON.SENSE  HANDRAILINQ 


a  * 


shown   rein- 
forced  by  bent 
iron     scroll 
ivork;   this  has 
a    charming 
effect  in  many 
cases,     and     I 
know  of  one  in- 
stance, in  New 
York    City, 
where  the  scroll 
work    was    of 
brass,   the   bal- 
usters   enam- 
elled cream,  the 
rail    solid    ma- 
hogany,  and 
the    result  was 
actually  beauti- 
ful.   The  wood- 


Fig.  83. 


Fig.  82. 

work  in  the  hall  was  also 
crt-am-colored,  and  the  light 
from  the  outside  passed 
through  amber-colo-ed  glass. 
Another  style  of  baluster, 
newel  and  string  is  exhib- 
ited at  Fig.  82.  The  newel 
is  formed  at  the  first  plat- 
form, there  being  three  risers 
up  to  the  platform.  The 
balusters  are  simple,  and  the 


;;i^^> 


iifSmlfx^. 


FOURTH  METHOD 


167 


whole  Illustration  is  given  here  more  to  show  the 
method  of  raising  the  newel  and  balusters  than  for  any 
other  purpose. 

Another  style  of  baluster,  string  and  rail  is  shown 
at  Fig.  83.  The  baluster  in  this  case  is  simply?  square 
with  two  of  its  sides  bevelled  and  cut  in  between  the 


Fif.  84. 


Fig.  85. 


Fig.  86. 


Fig.  87. 


tail  and  the  sub-rail.  The  little  panels  running  raking 
with  the  rails  are  also  cut  in,  or  let  into  grooves  in  bal- 
uster and  rail.  Other  portions  of  the  illustration  are 
self-explanatory. 

These  examples  of  newels  and  balusters,  I  think,  are 
sufficient,  as  trade  catalogues  from  factory  and  shop. 


m 


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168         COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILING 

contaning  hundreds  of  set  designs,  may  be  obtained 
for  the  asking. 

MISCELLANEOUS   ITEMS 

Under  this  head  I  purpose  showing  a  few  things  not 
generally  included  in  works  of  this  kind,  but  which 


Fig.  88. 


Fig.  90. 


Fig.  89. 


Fig.  91. 


will  be  found  very  useful  to  the  gent-rai  workman  is 
well  as  to  the  specialist  in  stair-building. 

The  illustrations  shown  in  Figs.  84  to  91,  inclusive, 
exhibit  a  number  of  different  designs  for  stop  cham- 


FOURTH  METHOD 


169 


fering.  These  will  be  found  useful  in  determining  the 
Style  of  step  for  chamfering  the  corners  of  a  newel 
post,  and  in  many  other  instances  as  well.  Some  of 
these  chamfers  and  stops  are  quite  elaborate  and  will 
require  considerable  labor  to  work  them  out  in  good 
form;  particularly  is  this  true  of  Figs.  86  and  89,  as 
one  has  a  concave  and  the  other  a  convex  surface,  and 
Fig.  89  has  an  oruanuMital  termination. 

Besides  these  stylis  of  stops  there  are  many  others, 
the  simplest  of  which  is  just  a  bevel  ending  of  any 
pitch  and  the  ogee  ending,  and 
several  others  of  which  nearly 
every  workman  is  familiar. 

The  illustration  shown  at  Fig. 92 
gives  the  method  of  obtaining  a 
reduced  pattern  for  a  bracket  as 
required  for  the  ends  of  winders 
Upon  the  top  edge  of  the  bracket  |^ 
used  for  the  flyers  describe  an 
equilateral  triangle.  Divide  the 
contour  of  the  bracket  into  a 
number  of  parts,  and  draw  lines 
from  divisions  perpendicular  to 
the  top  or  base  of   the  triangle. 

From  these  intersections  draw  lines  to  the  apex  of  the 
tri.iiigle.  iW'Xt  mark  upon  «^he  sides  of  the  triangle, 
from  the  apex,  the  length  of  the  bracket  required. 
Join  these  points  by  a  line,  a  a^  which  is  parallel  with 
the  base,  and  upon  the  points  where  the  line  cuts  the 
lines  drawn  to  the  apex,  erect  perpendiculars;  make 
them  equal  in  length  to  the  corresponding  lines  drawn 
on  the  original  bracket. 

The  eight  illustrations  shown  in  Fig.  93  give  brackets 
and   sections   of    handrails  of  various   kinds,   and    is 


Fig.  92. 


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A7e        COMMON-SENSE  HANDRAILINQ 


Fig.  9^- 


FOURTH  METHOD 


«7« 


offered  as  a  supplement  to  the  page  of  handrail  sec- 
tions shown  in  part  three  of  this  work.  In  the  exam- 
ples given  the  centers  of  the  curves  forming  the  hand- 
rails arc  j^'iven,  and  the  sizes  of  the  rails  are  marked  ca 
the  sections  in  two  instances.  The  numbers  5  to  8, 
inclusive,  show  patterns  for  brackets  which  may  be 
made  to  suit  almost  any  style  of  stairs.  Other  pat- 
terns will  be  found  illustrated  in  previous  pages  of  this 
work  in  connection  with  examples  of  platform  stairs. 

TABLES 

The  following  tables  which  are  taken  from  the 
Builder  and  Woodworker,  but  which  I  believe  were  first 
prepared  by  The  California  Architect,  will  be  found  very- 
useful  to  those  "figuring"  on  the  run  and  rise  of  stairs. 
The  spacing  of  the  lines  of  figures  into  groups  aids  the 
eye  in  following  the  direction  to  the  final  point. 

Directions: — In  the  column  beginning  with  the  rise  of 
step  desired,  find  the  height  of  story  from  top  of  floor 
to  top  of  floor,  then  follow  this  line  to  the  column 
under  risers,  which  gives  the  number  of  risers.  In 
the  column  under  "treads"  find  the  number  of  risers, 
less  one,  and  on  this  line  under  the  column  of  width  of 
tread  will  be  the  length  of  run. 


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FOURTH  METHOD 


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A    GLOSSARY    OF    TERMS     USED     IN 
STAIR-BUILDING  AND  HAND- 
RAILING 

A  Plight— A  continued  series  of  steps  without  a  break. 
Axis.— In  architecture  an   imaginary  line   through    the 
center  of  a  column,  etc.,  or  its  geometrical  repre- 
sentation;   where   different   members   are   placed 
over  each  other  so  that  the  same  vertical  line  on 
the  elevation  divides  them  equally,  they  are  said  to 
be  on  the  same  axis,  although  they  may  be  on 
different    planes;   thus   triglyphs   and   modiilions 
are  so  arranged  that  one  coincides  with  the  axis 
or  line  of  axis  of  each  column;  in  like  manner  the 
windows  or  other  openings  in  the  several  stories 
of  a  fa?ade  must  all  be  in  the  same  respective  axis 
whether  they  are  all  of  the  same  breadth  or  not. 
In  geometry,   the   straight   line  in  a  plane  figure 
about  which  it  revolves  to  produce  or  generate  a 
solid.     In  mechanics,  the  axis  of  a  balance  is  the 
line  upon  which  it  moves  or  turns.     In  turning,  an 
imaginary  line  passing  longicudinally  through  the 
middle  cf  the  body  to  be  turned,  from  one  point 
to  the  other  of  the  two  cones,  by  which  the  work 
is  suspended  or  between  the  back  center  and  the 
center  of  the  collar  of  the  puppet  which  supports 
the  end  of  the  mandril  at  the  chuck. 

«75 


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f  ■'■■I  * 


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4 


176 


GLOSSARY 


Bilttrttr.— A  small  column  or  post  turned  of  different 
forms  and  sizes,  forming  an  ornamental  enclosure 
and  supporting  the  handrail ;  generally  two  to  a  step. 
Biattitrade.— A  series  or  row  of  balusters  joined  by  a 
rail,  serving  for  a  rest  to  the  arms,  or  as  a  fence  or 
enclosure    to    balconies,   altars,    staircases,    etc. 
Balustrades   when   intended    for    use   or    against 
windows  or  flights  of  steps,  terraces  and  the  like, 
should  not  be  more  than  3  feet  6  inches,  nor  less 
than  3  feet  in  height.     When  used  for  ornament, 
as  on  the  summit  of  a  building,  their  height  maybe 
from  two-thirds  to  four-fifths  of  the  entablature 
whereon  they  are  employed,  and  this  proportion  is 
to  be  taken  exclusive  of  their  zoccolo  or  plinth,  so 
that  from  the  proper  point  of  sight  the  whole  bal- 
ustrade may  be  exposed  to  view.     There  are  vari- 
ous species  of  balusters;  if  single-bellied  the  best 
way  is   to  divide   the  total  height  of  the  space 
allotted    for   the    balustrade   into   thirteen   equal 
parts,  the  height  of  the  baluster  to  be  eight,  of  the 
base  three,  and  of  the  cornice  two  of  those  parts; 
or  divide  the    total    height   into   fourteen   parts, 
making  the  baluster  eight,  the  base  four,  and  the 
cornice  two.     If  double-bellied  the  height  should 
be  divided  into  fourteen  parts,  two  of  which  are  to 
be  given  to  the  cornice,  three  to  the  base  and  the 
remainder  to  the  baluster. 

The  distance  between  two  balusters  should  not 
be  more  than  halt  the  diameter  of  the  baluster  in 


«.  Ji.«lk!: 


GLOSSARY  ,77 

Its  thickest  part,  nor  It-ss  than  one-third  of  it;  but 
on  inclined  planes  the  intervals  should  not  be 
quite  so  wide. 
Butt  Joint.— An  end  joint  made  at  rig:ht  angles  to  the 
central  tangent  of  a  wreath  piece;  and  also  an  end 
joint  made  at  right  angles  ic,  any  straight  length 
of  handrail. 

CwTlage.— The  timber  work  which  supports  the  steps 
of  a  wooden  stair. 

CloM  String.— In  dog-leg  stairs  a  staircase  without  an 
open  newel. 

Coekel  Stain. — A  winding  staircase. 

Circular  Stairs  are  stairs  with  steps  planned  in  a  circle 
toward  the  center  of  which  they  a'l  converge  and 
are  all  wintlers. 

Curve-out.— A  concave  curve  of  the  face  of  a  front- 
string  at  its  starting. 

Curtail  Step.  — The  first  step  by  which  a  stair  is 
ascended,  finishing  at  the  end  in  a  form  of  a  scroll 
following  the  plan  of  the  handrail.— A^icAo/son. 

Cylinder.— A  cylinder  is  a  solid  described  by  geometri- 
cians as  generated  by  the  rotation  of  a  rectangle 
about  one  of  its  sides  supposed  to  be  at  rest;  this 
quiescent  side  is  called  the  axis  of  the  cylinder, 
therefore  the  base  and  top  of  the  cylinder  are 
equal  or  similar  circles. 

A  prism  is  a  solid,  whose  base  and  top  are  similar 
right  line  figures,  with  sides  formed  in  planes,  and 
rising  perpendicularly  from  the  base  to  the  top. 


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178 


GLOSSARY 


The  cylinder,  so  called  hy  joirurs,  is  a  solid  figure 
compounded  of  the  two  last  mentioned  figures;  its 
base  is  composed  of  a  semicircle  joined  to  a  right- 
angled  parallelogram.     This  last  compound  figure 
is  intended  whenever  the  word  cylinder  occurs  in 
the  preceding  work  unless  the  word  geometrical 
be  prefixed. 
Dog-legged  Stairs.— Such  as  are  solid  between  the  upper 
flights,  or  those  that  have  no  well-hole;  and  the 
rail   and   balusters   of  both   the   progressive  and 
retrogressive  flight  fall  in  the  same  vertical  plane. 
The    steps    are     fixed    to     strings,    newels     and 
carriages;  and  the  ends  of  the  steps  of  the  inferior 
kind  terminate  only  on  the   side  of  the  string.— 

Nicholson. 

BUiptio  Stairs.— Stairs  that  are  elliptic  on  the  plan,  the 
treads  all  converging,  but  not  to  one  center  like 
those  of  a  circular  stair. 

Face  Mould.— A  section  produced  on  any  inclined  plane 
vertically  over  a  curved  plan  of  handrail. 

rUght  of  Stairs.- In  a  staircase  the  series  of  steps 
from  one  landing  place  to  another.  Thus  the 
same  staircase  between  one  floor  and  another  may 
consist  of  more  than  one  flight  of  steps,  the  flight 
being  reckoned  from  one  landing  to  another. 

Front  String.— The  string  on  that  side  of  the  stair  over 

which  the  handrail  is  placed. 
FiUet.— A  band    i%    inches   wide  by   )i    inch   thick 
nailed  to  the  face  of  a  front  string  below  the  cov^ 
and  extending  the  width  of  a  tread. 


GLOSSARY 


179 


Plyeri.— Steps  in  a  flight  that  are  parallel  to  each  other. 

Geometrical  Stair.— A  flight  of  stairs  supported  only  by 
the  wall  at  one  end  of  the  steps. 

Half-space,  or  resting  place.— The  interval  between  two 
flights  of  steps  in  a  staircase. 

Hall.— The  first  large  apartment  on  entering  a  house; 
the  public  room  of  a  corporative  body  ;  a  manor- 
house. 

Handrail.— A  variously  formed  and  sized  rail  running 
parallel  to  the  inclination  of  the  stairs  for  holding 
the  balusters. 

Hollow  Newel.— An  opening  in  the  middle  of  the  stair- 
case. The  term  is  used  in  contradistinction  to 
solid  newel,  into  which  the  ends  of  the  steps  are 
built.  In  the  hollow  newel,  or  well-hole,  the  steps 
are  only  supported  at  one  end  by  the  surrounding 
wall  of  the  staircase,  the  ends  next  the  hollow 
being  unsupported. — Nicholson. 

Helix.— The  sm  :1I  twist  under  the  head  of  a  Corinthian 
column. 

Housing.— The  space  excavated  out  of  a  body,  for  the 
insertion  of  some  part  of  the  extremity  of  another 
in  order  to  fasten  the  two  together;  thus  the 
string-board  of  a  stair  is  most  frequently  exca- 
vated, or  notched  out  for  the  reception  of  steps. 
The  term  is  also  applied  to  a  niche  for  containing 
a  statue. — Nicholson. 

Joint. — The  surface  of  separation  between  two  bodies 
brought  into  contact   and   held  firmly  together, 


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Hi 


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GLOSSARY 


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either  by  some  cementing  medium  or  by  the 
weight  of  one  body  lying  upon  another.  A  joint 
is  not  merely  the  contact  of  two  surfaces,  though 
the  nearer  they  approach  the  more  perfect  the 
joint.  In  masonry  the  distance  of  the  planes 
intended  to  form  a  joint  i:,  comparatively  consid- 
erable because  of  the  coarseness  of  the  particles 
which  enter  into  the  composition  of  the  cement. 
Kerf.— A  slit  or  cut  in  a  piece  of  timber  or  in  a  stone, 

usually  applied  to  that  made  by  a  saw  or  axe. 
Keys.— In   naked   flooring,  pieces  of   timber   fixed   in 
between  the  joists  by  mortise  and   tenon;  when 
these  are    fastened    with   their    ends    projecting 
against  sides  they  are  termed  strutting  pieces. 
Xeys.— Pieces  inserted  in  boards  to  prevent  warping. 
Knee.— A  convex  bend  in  the  back  of  a  handrail. 
Knee.— A  part  of  the  back  of  a  handrailing  of  a  convex 
form,  the  reverse  of  a  ramp,  which  is  a  back  of  a 
handrail  and  is  concave;  also  any  piece  of  timber 
bent  to  an  angular  joint. 
Landing.— Horizontal  resting-place  in  a  flight. 
Uewel.— The  central  column  around  which  the  steps 
of  a  circular  staircase  wind;  the  principal  post  at 
the  angles  and  foot  of  a  staircase. 
Ue^el.— In   architecture   the   upright  post  or  central 
column  around  which  the  steps  of  a  circular  stair- 
case are  made  to  wind,  being  that  part  of  the 
staircase  by  which  they  are  sustained. 
The  newel  is   properly  a  cylinder  of  stone  or 


IHi 


GLOSSARY 


i8i 


wood,  which  bears  on  the  ground  and  is  formed  by 

the  ends  of  the  steps  of  the  winding  stairs. 
There  are  also  newels  of  wood,  which  arc  pieces 

of   wood    placed    perpendicularly,    receiving    the 

tenons  of  the  steps  of  wooden  stairs  into  their 

mortises,   and  wherein  are   fitted   the  shafts  and 

rests  of  the  staircase  and  the  flight  of  each  story. 

In  some  of  the  Tudor  and  Elizabethan  residences 

some  very  fine  examples  may  be  seen  of  the  newe! 

richly  ornamented  and  adding  much  to  the  beauty 

of  the  staircase. — Nicholson. 
Hosing. — The  outer  or  front  edge  of  the  step. 
Pitching  Piece.— A  horizontal  timber  with  one  of  its 

ends  wedged  into  the  wall  at  the  top  of  a  flight  of 

stairs   to   support   the   upper   end   of    the   rough 

strings. 
Pitch. — Angle  of  inclination  of  the  stairs. 
Pitoh'hoaid.— A  piece  of  thin  board  in  the  form  of  a 

right-angled  triangle,  one  of  the  sides  of  the  right 

angle  equal  to  a  rise. 
Rftnip. — A  concave  or  convex  curve  or  easement  of  an 

angle,   as   sometimes   required   at  the  end   of  a 

wreath  or  an  adjoining  straight  rail. 
Rise. — The  vertical  rise  between  the  treads. 
Eiser. — The  board  forming  the  vertical  portion  of  the 

front  of  a  step. 
Ban. — Of  a  flight  of  stairs,    the  horizontal   distance 

from  the  first  to  the  last  riser. 
SoroU. — A    carved    curvilinear    ornament,    somewhat 


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GLOSSARY 

resembling  in  profile  the  turnings  of  a  ram's  horn. 
—Hatfield. 
SpUy.~A  slanting  or  beveling  in  the  sides  of  an 
opening  to  a  wall  for  a  window  or  door,  so  that 
the  outside  profile  of  the  window  is  larger  than 
that  of  the  inside;  it  is  done  for  the  purpose  of 
facilitating  the  admission  of  light.  It  is  a  term 
applied  to  whatever  has  one  side  making  an 
oblique  angle  with  the  other;  thus  the  heading 
joists  of  a  boarded  floor  are  frequently  splayed  in 
their  thickness.  The  word  fining  is  sometimes 
applied  to  an  aperture  in  the  same  sense  as 
splayed. 

Spring  Bevel  of  a  EaU.— The  angle  made  by  the  top  of 
the  plank  with  a  vertical  plane  touching  the  €nds 
of  the  rail  piece  which  terminates  the  concavt- 
side. 

Sqnaring  a  Handrail. — The  method  of  cutting  a  plank 
to  the  form  of  a  rail  for  a  staircase  so  that  all  the 
vertical  sections  may  be  right  angles. 

Spiral.— In  geometry,  a  curve  line  of  the  circular  kind, 
which  in  its  progress  always  recedes  more  and 
more  from  its  center.  In  architecture,  a  curve  that 
ascends  winding  about  a  cone  or  spire  so  that  all 
its  points  continually  approach  its  axis. 

Bpandril. — The  angle  formed  by  a  stairway. 

Stairi  (from  the  Saxon  stager) .—In  a  building,  the 
steps  whereby  to  ascend  and  descend  from  one 
stoiy  to  another. 


\i 


GLOSSARY 


!  1,^11 


»83 


The  breadth  of  the  steps  of  stairs  in  general  use  in 
common  dwelling  houses  is  from  9  to  12  inches,  or 
about   10  inches  medium.     In  the  best  staircases 
of  fine  houses  or  public  edifices  the  breadth  ought 
never  to  be  less  than   12  inches  nor  more  than  18 
inches.     It  is  a  general  maxim  that  the  greater 
breadth  of  a  step  requires  less  height  than  one  of 
less  breadth;  thus,  a  step  of  12  inches  in  breadth 
will  require  a  rise  of  7%  inches,  which  may  be 
taken  as  a  standard  by  which  to  regulate  those  of 
other  dimensions;  so  that  multiplying   12   inches 
by  5J^  we  shall  have  66;  then  supposing  a  step  to 
be    10   inches   in    breadth    the   height   should   be 
66+  10  =  6J  inches,  which  is  nearly,  if  not  exactly, 
what  common  practice  would  allow.     The  propor- 
tion of  steps  being  thus  regulated  the  next  consid- 
eration is  the  number  requisite  between  two  floors 
or  stories  which  will  be  ascertained  by  supposing 
the  breadth  of  the  steps  given,  say  10  inches  each, 
as  depending  on  the  space  allowed  for  the  stair- 
case, and  this,  according  to  the  rule  laid  down,  will 
require  a  rise  of  nearly  7  inches;  suppose  then  the 
distance  from  floor  to  floor  to  be  13  feet  4  inches, 
or  160  inches,  160  +  7  =  224,  which  would  be  the 
number  required;  but  as  all  the  steps  must  be  of 
equal  heights  we  should  rather  take  23  risers,  pro- 
vided the  staircase  room  would  allow  it,  and  so 
make  the  height  of  each  somewhat  less  than  7 
inches. 


1 84 


GLOSSARY 


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The  most  certain  method  of  erecting  a  staircase 
is  to  provide  a  rod  of  sufficient  length  to  reach 
from  one  floor  to  another,  divided  into  as  many 
equal  parts  as  the  intended  number  of  risers,  and 
try  every  step  as  it  is  set  to  its  exact  height.  The 
breadth  of  the  staircase  may  be  from  6  to  20  feet 
according  to  the  use  or  application  of  the  building 
or  the  form  or  proportions  of  the  plan. 

If  the  steps  be  less  than  3  feet  in  length  the 
staircase  becomes  inconvenient  for  the  passing  of 
furniture,  as  is  frequently  the  case  in  small  houses. 
Though  it  is  desirable  to  have  such  rules  as  are 
here  laid  down  for  regulating  the  proportion  of 
the  heights,  breadths  and  lengths  of  steps,  archi- 
tects  and  workmen  cannot  be  so  strictly  tied  to 
them   but  that   they  may  vary  them  as  circum- 
stances may  demand.— Nicholson. 
Stairs  are  constructions  composed  of  horizontal  planes 
elevated  above  each  other,  forming  steps,  afford- 
ing the   means   of  communication    between    the 
different  stories  of  a  building. 

In  the  distribution  of  a  house  of  several  stories 
the  stairs  occupy  an  important  place.  In  new 
constructions  their  form  maybe  regular,  but  in  f 
reparation  or  remodeling  of  old  buildings  the  .  t 
consideration  is  generally  to  make  the  distribut.on 
suitable  for  the  living  and  sleeping  rooms,  and 
then  to  convert  to  the  use  of  the  stairs  the  spaces 
which  may  remain,  giving  to  them  such  forms  in 


GLOSSARY 


i8s 


plan  as  will  render  them  agreeable  to  the  sigfat  and 
commodious  in  the  use. 

When  houses  began  to  be  built  in  stories  the 
stairs  were  placed  from  story  to  story  in  straight 
flights  like  ladders.  They  were  erected  on  the 
exterior  of  the  building,  and  to  shelter  them  when 
so  placed  great  projection  was  given  to  the  roofs. 
To  save  the  extent  of  space  required  by  straight 
flights  the  stairs  were  made  to  turn  upon  them- 
selves in  a  spiral  form,  and  were  inclosed  in 
turrets.  A  newel,  either  square  or  round,  reach- 
ing  from  [the  ground  to  the  roof,  served  to  sup- 
port the  inner  ends  of  the  steps,  and  the  outer 
ends  were  let  into  the  walls  or  supported  on 
notched  boards  attached  to  the  walls. 

At  a  later  period  the  stairs  came  to  be  inclosed 
within  the  building  itself,  and  for  a  long  time  pre- 
served the  spiral  form  which  the  former  situation 
had  necessitated. 
Definitions. — The  apartment  in  which  the  stair  is  placed 
is  called  the  staircase. 

The  horizontal  part  of  a  step  is  called  the  tread, 
the  vertical  part  the  riser,  the  breadth  or  distance 
from  riser  to  riser  the  going,  the  distance  from  the 
first  to  the  last  riser  in  a  ^ightihQ  going  of  the  flight. 

When  the  risers  are  parallel  with  each  other  the 
stairs  are,  of  course,  straight. 

When  the  steps  are  narrower  at  one  end  than 
the  other  they  are  termed  unnders. 


I*  I ' 


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II 


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i»i 


,86  GLOSSARY 

When  the  bottom  step  has  a  circular  end  it  is 
•       called  a  round-ended  step ;  when  the  end  is  formed 
into  a  spiral  it  is  called  a  curtail  step. 

The  wide  step  introduced  as  a  resting  place  in 
the  ascent  is  a  landing,  and  the  top  of  a  stair  is 
also  so  called. 

When  the  landing  occupies  the  whole  width  of 
the  staircase  it  is  called  a  half-space. 

When  the  landing  at  a  resting  place  is  square  it 
is  designated  a  quarter-space. 

So  much  of  a  stair  as  is  included  between  two 
landings  is  called  a  flight,  especially  if  the  risers 
are  parallel  with  each  other;  the  steps  in  this  case 
zxe  fliers. 

The  outward  edge  of  a  step  is  named  the  nosing; 
if  it  projects  beyond  the  riser  so  as  to  receive  a 
hollow  moulding  glued  under  it  it  is  a  moulded 

nosing. 

A  straight  edge  laid  on  the  nosings  represents 
the  angle  of  the  stairs,  and  is  denominated  the  line 

cf  nosings. 

The  raking  pieces  which  support  the  ends  of  the 
Steps  are  called  strings.  The  inner  one  placed 
against  the  wall  is  the  wall  string;  the  other  the 
outer  string.  If  the  outer  string  be  cut  to  miter 
with  the  end  of  the  riser  it  is  a  cut  and  mitered 
string;  but  when  the  strings  are  grooved  to  receive 
the  ends  of  the  treads  and  risers  they  are  said  to 
be  housed,  and  the  grooves  are  termed  hotisings. 


GLOSSARY 


187 


hi 


Stairs  in  which  the  outer  string  of  the  upper 
flight  stands  porpendiculariy  over  that  of  the 
lower  flight  arc  called  dog-legged  stairs,  otherwise 
newel  stairs,  from  the  fact  of  a  piece  of  stuff  called 
a  newel,  being  used  as  the  axis  of  the  spiral  of  the 
stair;  the  newel  is  generally  ornamented  by  turn- 
ing, or  in  some  other  way.  The  outer  strings  in 
such  stairs  are  tenoned  into  the  newel,  as  also  are 
the  first  and  last  risers  of  the  ^)Qhi.—Netvland. 
Steircase.— A  term  applied  to  the  whole  set  of  stairs, 
with  the  walls  supporting  the  steps,  leading  from 
one  story  to  another.  The  same  staircase  frequently 
conducts  to  the  top  of  the  building,  and  thus  con- 
sists of  as  many  stories  as  the  building  itself. 

When  the  height  of  the  story  is  considerable, 
resting  places  become  necessary,  which  go  under 
the  name  of  quarter-spaces  and  half-spaces,  accord- 
ing as  the  passenger  has  to  pass  a  right  angle,  or  - 
two  right  angles;  that  is,  as  he  has  to  describe  a 
quadrant  or   a   semicircle.     In   very  high  stones 
that  admit  of  sufficient  head-room,  and  where  the 
space   allowed   for  the  staircase  is  confined,   the 
staircase  may  have  two  revolutions  in  the  height 
of  one  story,  which  will  lessen  the  height  of  the 
steps;  but  in  grand  staircases  only  one  revolution 
can  be  admitted,  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
space  on  the  plan  being  always  proportioned  to 
the  height  of  the  building,  so  as  to  admit  of  fixed 
proportions. 


ill 


!   I 


ii-:^i».«fcSi 


1 88 


GLOSSARY 


In  contriving  a  grand  edifice  particular  attention 
must  be  paid  to  the  situation  of  the  space  occupied 
by  the  stairs,  so  as  to  give  them  the  most  easy 
command  of  the  rooms. 

With  regard  to  the  lighting  of  -  <jrand  staircase, 
a  skylight,  or  rather  lantern,  is  nost  appropri- 

ate; for  the  light  thus  admitted  is  powerful,  and 
the  design  admits  of  greater  elegance;  indeed, 
where  the  staircase  does  not  adjoin  the  exterior 
walls  this  is  the  only  method  by  which  light  -an 

be  admitted. 

In  small  buildings  the  position  of  the  staircase 
is  indicated  by  the  general  distribution  of  the 
plan,  but  in  large  edifices  this  is  not  so  obvious,  but 
must  at  least  be  determined  by  consid  ring  natu- 
rally its  connection  with  other  apartments.— 
Nicholson. 
Btraight  Flight  of  Stairs  is  one  in  which  the  steps  are 

parallel  and  at  right  angles  to  the  strings. 
Steps  (from  the  Saxon  5/^/).— The  degrees  of  a  stair- 
case, by  which  we  rise,  consisting  of  two  parts, 
one  horizontal  called  treads,  the  other  vertical 
called  risers.  When  steps  are  placed  around  the 
circumference  of  a  circle,  or  an  ellipse,  or  any 
segments  of  them,  they  are  called  winders,  but 
wl.en  the  sides  are  straight  they  are  called  fliers. 
The  first,  or  lower  step,  with  a  scroll  wrought 
upon  its  end.  according  to  the  plan  of  the  handrail, 
is  called  the  curtail  step. 


i.l! 


fj 


GLOSSARY 


189 


Strttoh-out— A  term  applied  to  a  surface  that  will  just 
cover  a  body  so  extended  that  all  its  parts  arc  in  a 
plane,  or  may  be  made  to  coincide  with  a  plane. 

Scroll  or  Curtail  Step.-The  bottom  step  with  the  front 
end  shaped  to  receive  the  balusters  around  the 
scroll  of  the  handrail. 

String  or  String-piece.— That  part  of  a  flight  of  stairs 
which  forms  its  ceilinfj  or  soflfit. 

Btring-boud.— In  wooden  stairs  the  board  next  the 
well-hole  which  receives  the  ends  ofth"  steps;  its 
face  follows  the  direction  of  the  well-hole,  what- 
ever the  form;  when  curved  it  is  frequently  formed 
in  thicknesses  glued  tofrether,  though  sometimes  it 
is  got  out  of  the  solid  like  a  handrail. 

String-board.— In  wooden  stairs,  a  board  placed  next 
to  the  well-hole,  and  teiminating  the  ends  of  the 
steps.  The  face  of  string-boards  follows  the 
direction  of  the  well-hole,  whether  it  be  prismatic 
or  an  inverted  cone.  String-boards  are  sometimes 
glued  in  several  thicknesses  with  the  fibers  of  the 
wood  running  in  the  direction  of  the  steps;  some- 
times they  are  wrought  out  of  solid,  like  a 
handrail,  the  grain  of  the  wood  being  in  the  same 
direction;  and  they  are  also  glued  up  l>ke 
columns,  viz.,  having  the  fibers  vertical.  Brackets 
are  most  frequently  placed  upon  the  string-boards 
and  mitered  into  the  risers.—Ntcho/soft. 
Tangent.— In  geometry,  a  ri^rht  line  perpendicularly 
raised  on  the  extremity  of  a  radius,  which  touches 


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GLOSSARY 


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a  circle  so  that  it  would  never  cut  it,  although 
indefinitely  produced,  or  in  other  words,  it  would 
never  come  within  its  circumference. 
Step.— The  horizontal  board  on  which  we  tread. 
Soffit. —The  under  side  of  an  arch  or  moulding. 
Tread.— The  horizontal  distance  between  the  risers- 
one  of  the  equal  divisions  into  which  the  flight  is 
divided;  the  top  of  the  step. 
Wall  String.— The  board   placed   against  the   wall  to 

receive  the  ends  of  the  step. 
Well.— The  place  occupied  by  the  flight  of  stairs.    The 
space  left  beyond  the  ends  of  the  steps  is  called 
the  well-hole. 
Well  Staircase.— A   winding    staircase    of    ascent    or 
descent,  to  different  parts  of  a  building,  so  called 
from   the   walls   inclosing   it   resembling   a   well; 
called  frequently  a  geometrical  staircase. 
Winders.— Stairs,  steps  not  parallel  to  each  other. 

The  winders  are  supported  by  rough  pieces 
called  dearers,  wedged  into  the  wall  and  secured  to 
the  strings. 

When  the  front  string  is  ornamented  with  brack- 
ets it  is  called  a  bracketed  stair. 

Treads  of  triangular  form  used  to  .urn  an  angle 
or  go  round  a  curve. 
Wreath.— The  whole  ot  a  heliacally  curved  handrail. 
Wreath  Piece.— A  portion  of  a  wreath  less  than  the 
whole. 


CONTENTS 

FIRST   METHOD 


Page 

5 


Preface  

Advice  to  Young  Workmen 

Straight  Flight  of  Stairs 12 

Landing  Stairs 1 1 

Acute  Landing  and  Cylinder 12 

Obtuse  Landing  and  Cylinder 12 

Half-space  and  T'wo-step  Landing 12 

Quarter-space  and  Four  Winders 13 

Quarter-space  and  Six  Winders 13 

Half-space  and  Dancing  Winders 14 

Half-space,  Cylinder  and  Dancing  Winders 14 

Circular  Stairs ic 

Diagram  of  Tangents 16 

Curve  of  Face  Mould 17 

Explanatory  Diagram Ig 

Rule  for  Turn-out 

Steps  and  Risers 

Line  of  Rail 

Face  Moulds 

Facing  Mould  Lines 

Acute  Angle  Stairs 26 

Showing  Mould  and  Pitch 27 

Blocking  Out 28 

Constructing  Cylinder 20 


20 
20 
21 

23 
24 


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Stretch-out 


30 


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ii  CONTENTS 

Pag© 

Getting  Bevels  for  Butts 3> 

Face  Moulds  and  Stretch-outs 32 

Ramps  over  Fliers   33 

Moulds  for  Quarter-space  Stairs 34 

Stretch-out  over  Cylinder 3^ 

Stretch-out  over  Winders  3^ 

Laying  Out  Rail  over  Circular  Well-hole 40 

Face  Moulds,  Ramps  and  Stretch-outs 41 

Final  Remarks 42 

SECOND   METHOD 

A  Remark  or  Two 43 

Given  Treads  and  Risers 44 

Use  of  Pitch-board 46 

Stair  Strings  and  Winders 47 

Line  Theory  of  Handrailing 49 

Around  a  Cylinder 5° 

How  to  Obtain  a  Wreath 52 

Squaring  a  Wreath 54 

Twists  and  Cylinders 5° 

Cutting  Wreath  Square  to  Plank 57 

Beveling  Joints 5° 

THIRD   METHOD 

Line  of  Nosings 59 

Rail  over  Level  Landing 59 

Face  Moulds,  Tangents  and  Joints 6o 

Center  Lines  for  Rails ^o 

Major  and  Minor  Axes ^i 

Blocking  Out  for  Wreath ^^ 


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CONTENTS  iii 

Page 

Rail  !n  Position 63 

Rail  at  Landing 64 

Line  of  Quadrant 65 

Lay-out  of  Pitches 66 

Pitch  in  Cylinder,  I  low  Found 70 

"Bevels  on  Cylinder 71 

Face  Mould 72 

Blocking  Out 74 

Plan  of  Quai  ter-space  Rail 75 

Wreath  Worked  Out 77 

Tangents  Unfolded 79 

Ramp  and  Pitch 80 

Stretch-out  for  Winders 81 

Ramp  and  Templets 83 

Method  of  Getting  Face  Moulds 84 

Plan  of  Wreath,  Risers  and  Tangents 85 

Stretch-outs  over  Landing 86 

Isometrical  Sketch  of  Wreath 87 

Stretch-out  over  Obtuse  Landing 89 

Wreath  over  Cylinder 90 

Bevels  for  Butt  Cuts 91 

Falling  Lines  and  Well 9^ 

Use  of  Pitch-board 93 

Wreath  for  Small  Cylinder 94 

Three  Points  in  a  Cylinder 96 

Sliding  the  Face  Moulds g6 

Mould  and  Plank 97 

Nine  Sections  of  Handrails 99 

General  Glossary  and  Definitions 100 


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i,.  CONTENTS 

FOURTH    M1':TH0D 

Paga 

A  Philadelphia  Stairwav M5 

A  Sensible  Stairway  '46 

A  Continued  Stair M9 

A  Quaint  Stair ^  5° 

A  Built-Up  Newel ^55 

Ruilt-Up  Newels l6o 

Balusters  with  Brass  Brackets • 165 

CuttiniT  Miter  Cap "4 

Cutting  Strings "5 

Carriages  for  Stiings ^21 

Carved  Stairway ^3* 

Carved  Newel  Top MO 

Colonial  Stairway M3 

Carved  Newel  from  Ik^l^'iuni 157 

Columner  Newel 161 

Chamfering i°7 

Dovetailed  Treads "9 

Double  Stairs  I3» 

Details  of  Carved  Stairway 139 

Details  of  Rail  and  Finish 152 

Difference  in  Balusters 164 

Diminishing  Brackets 109 

Elevation  of  Stairs m 

Euvation  of  Housed  String H/ 

Ends  of  Steps 1^3 

Elevation  of  Bull-Nose  Steps 125 

Pllevation  of  Stairway ^35 

Elevation  of  Grand  Entranci: 13^ 

Framing  Platform  Stairs 108 

Framing  a  BuU-Nosc  Step n2 

Four  Plans  of  Stairs 132 

Fancy  Stair  and  Newel 156 


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CONTENTS  V 

Page 

Grand  Stairs  with  Landings   . .  131 

Grand  Hall  Stairs 131 

Head  Room 128 

Heavy  Carved  Newels 14 1 

Introduction  to  ]\I';thod  IV 99 

Interior  View  of  Stairway 153 

Newels  and  Platform  Stairs 99 

Newel  Cap 113 

Newel  Miter  Ca[) 1 14 

Nosm},'s 121 

Nosing  Solid 122 

Newel  and  Baluster 154 

Open  String's 109 

Open  Newc    Stairs 1 10 

Open  Striu'   and  Nosing 125 

Outside  li.   1  Plan 135 

Odd  Newels  from  France    161 

Ornamental  Stop  Chamfering 168 

Proportioning  Treads  and  Risers loo 

Platforms 107 

Plan  of  Stairs IIO 

Plan  of  Tread  and  Riser 121 

Plan  of  Showing  Carriage  Strings 126 

Perspective  of  Open  Stairs   Ij6 

Perspective  of  Carved  Newel 142 

Plam  Newels 1 58 

Pitman's  Carved  Newel   159 

Patterns  of  Handrails 170 

Rail  and  Baluster  Fastenings IJ3 

Raking  and  Straight  Balusters 147 

Strength  ot  Stairs 10; 

SUetches  of  Cut  Strings i  iS 

Section  of  Bul!-Nose  Step 124 

Section  of  Rail  with  Balusters 148 


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tM. 


vi  CONTENTS 

Page 

Serpentine  Newel  ami  Halusters  15^ 

Sections  and  Elevations  of  Stair ^S^ 

Some  French  Newels '^2 

Spanish  Newels  '^3 

Spiral  Newel '^5 

Stop  ChaniferinjT '"7 

Styles  Qf  Rrackcts '"O 

Sections  of  Handrails ^7° 

Two  Landing  Stairs ^^9 

Three  Landing  Stairs ^30 

Three  Plans  of  Stairs '33 

Three  Hall  Plans  of  Stairs U4 

Two  Elevations  of  Stairs ^66 

Tables  of  Treads  and  Risers *7* 


HOUSK    FLAN   SUPPLEMENT 


PERSPECTIVE  VIEWS 
AND  FLOOR  PLANS 

of    Fifty     Low    and 
Medium  Priced  Houses 

FILL    AND    COMPI.F.TK    WORKING    ri.ANS    AND    SPECIFICATIONS     OP 

ANY    OF     THESE      HOUSES      WILL     BB     MAILED     AT     THE 

LOW    PRICES    NAMED.   ON    THE    SAME   DAY 

THE  ORDER    IS   RErtlVED. 


Other  Plans 


WE  IILUSTRATE  IN  AL'.  BOOKS   I'NDER  THE  AUTHORSHIP  OF  FRED  T. 
HODGSON    FROM    25,    TO    !.0   PLANS,  NONE   OF  WHICH  ARK 

DI'PLICATES'OF  THOSE  ILLUSTRATED  HEREIN. 
FOR   FURTHER   INFORMATION,   ADDRESS  THE  PUBLISHERS. 


SEND    ALL    ORDERS    FOR    PLANS   TO 
FREDERICK  J.    DRAKE   &    COMPANY 

ARCHITECTURAL    DEPARTMENT 
350352  Wabash  Aveniw  CHICAGO 


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ITUOrT  i:\TRA  COST  to  our 
ri'.uU'i  s  \vf  h.ivi-  ailiU'il  to  this  and  each 
of  l-i Oil  r.  1  loili^son's  hooks  j)ul>lishe(l 
by  us  the  {HMSiicctivo  view  aiul  floor 


I   h 


ouscs. 


plans  of   tittv  low  aiul    nu-iliiini   pnc 
none  of  which  are  liupiicates.  sneh  as  are  heiiiR 
HT  cent  of  the  home  hnihlers  of 


built 
to-daw 


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the  sizes  of  the  houses, 


the  cost  of  the  i>lans  and  the  estimated  cost  of 


tl 


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Idin 


l;s  hasiH 


I  on  f. 


n  ora 


bl. 


coiulitions 


and 


-^xclusi\  e  of  plumbinsjj  and  heatinj^. 

The  extremely  low  prices  at  which  we  tV'ijl 
sell  these  complete  workin<i  plans  and  specifi- 
cations make  it  jK^ssible  for  everyone  to  have 
a  set  to  be  used,  not  only  as  a  <iuide  wlien  build- 
insT.  but  also  as  a  convenience  in  getting  bids 
on  the  various  kimls  of  work.  Tlu>-  can  be 
made  the  basis  of  contract  between  the  con- 
tractor and  the  h.ome  buikler.  They  will  save 
mistakes  which  cost  mone\-,  and  they  will  pre- 
vent disputes  which  are  never  settled  satisfac- 
torilv  to  both  parties.  They  will  save  money 
for  the  contractor,  because  then  it  will  not  be 
neces-arv  for  the  workman  to  lo^e  time  waiting 
for  instructions.  We  are  able  to  furnish  these 
complete  plans  at  these  pric<'5  because  we  sell 
?o  manv  and  they  are  now  used  in  every  known 
country  of  the  world  where  frame  houses  are 
built. 

The  regular  price  of  these  plans,  when 
ordered  in  the  usual  manner,  is  from  $50.00 
to  $75  00  per  set,  while  our  charge  is  but 
$5.00,  at  the  same  time  furnishing  them 
jf.  ^5,;  t^Qfe  comalete  and  better  bound. 


O/'What  our  Plans  Consist 


I  iff 


ALL  or  OUR  I'LAXS  are  accurately 
drawn  onc-<|u,irt(;r  inch  scale-  to  the 
foot. 

W'c  use  only  tin-  hcst  ([uality  heavy 
(jallia  liliic  I'lint  I'apcr  No.  loooX,  takinjr  every 
precaution  to  have  all  the  blue  prints  of  even 
color  ami  every  line  and  fi^rme  i)erfect  and 
distinct. 

We  furnish  for  a  complete  set  of  plans  : 

FRONT  ELEVATION 

REAR  ELEVATION 

LEFT  ELEVATION 

RIGHT  ELEVATION 

ALL  FLOOR  PLANS 

CELLAR  AND  FOUNDATION  PLANS 

ALL  NECESSARY  INTERIOR  DETAILS 

Specifications  consist  of  several  pages  of 
typewritten  matter,  givinjr  full  instructions  for 
carrying  out  the  work. 

We  guarantee  all  plans  and  specifications 
to  be  full,  complete  and  accurate  in  e\ery  par- 
ticular. Every  plan  being  designed  and  drawn 
by  a  licensed  architect. 

Our  equipment  is  so  complete  that  we  can 
mail  to  you  the  same  day  the  order  is  received, 
a  complete  set  ot  j.lans  and  specifications  of 
any  house  illustrated  herein. 

Our  large  sales  of  these  plans  demonstrates 
to  us  the  wisdom  of  making  these  very  low 
prices. 

ADDRFSS   AM.  ORDERS  To 

FREDERICK  J.  DRAKE  &  CO. 

A r,  hitfctur.il  Dcfartmrut 
350  .%52  Wabash  Av.-nu<-  CHICAGO 


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-."/y^^ee^"--- 


Remember 

We  can  mail  out  the  same  day  we  receive  the  ©rder 
any  complete  set  of  working  plans  and  specifications 
we  illustrate  in  this  book. 

Remember  also 

That,  if  you  are  going  to  build,  complete  working 
plans  and  specifications  always 

Save  Money 

for  both  the  owner  and  contractor. 


They  prevent  mistakes  and  disputes. 
They  save  time  and  money. 

They   tell  you   what  you  will   get    and  what  you 
are  to  dOt 


Estimated   Cost 


It  is  impossible  for  any  one  to  estimate  the  cost  of  a 
building  and  have  the  figures  hold  good  in  all  sections 
of  the  country. 

We  do  not  claim  to  be  able  to  do  it. 

The  estimated  cost  of  the  houses  we  illustrate  is 
based  on  the  most  favorable  conditions  in  all  respects 
and  does  not  include  Plumbing  and  Heating. 

Possibly  these  houses  cannot  be  built  by  you  at  the 
prices  we  name  because  we  have  used  minimum  material 
and  labor  prices  as  our  basis. 

The  home  builder  should  consult  the  Lumber 
Dealer,  the  Hardware  Dealer,  and  the  Reliable  Con- 
tractors of  his  town.  Their  knowledge  of  conditions 
in  your  particular  locality  makes  them,  and  them  only, 
capable  of  making  you  a  correct  estimate  of  the  cost 


.^')ti'LS<t^'^ 


HODGSON'S 

low  Cost  American  Homes 

rKBD  T.  HODOtOM 
Arehi«*e« 

ThU  book  eonUlM  V^f^Vf^^J^S* 
taa  floor  plWM  of  oneliundred  l>ooMjk 
ohurche*.  school  hon«e»  »nd  tonw.,*"*" 
?rtihout  a  doubt  the  n»o«tP«'»«\iS^T?2 

built  from,  and  mMy  of  them  <lupjw»j~ 
manv  tlmee  oyer.  All  are  practical, 
the  creation  of  the  well-known  author, 
inoludlua  T"  jJTOth  T  archltflcis  through- 
out "heffnlted  State,  and  Canada.  Md 
are  alike  Taluableto  builders  and  »ny  on* 
who  has  in  view  the  •'*c"°"  ?*»,»i??i!?i 
•to  The  plans  are  susceptible  of  slight 
changes  tlurt  wlU  adapt  them  to  »ny  taste. 
The  carpenter,  remote  from  the  cut, 
n^s  lust  such  a  book  to  refer  to.  or  to 
exhibit  to  his  customer  so  that  the  latter 
can  Klre  his  ordera  In  an  Intelligible 
manner.  The  much  desired  economy  on 
these  structures  U  not.  however,  obtajned 
at  the  expense  of  beauty -every  one  of  the 

K?^^a°4rp?r^si"rp'fcx^»r  ^  «s2it^ 

would  cost  from  UO-C  to  176.00. 

n*  book  COBUIM  oTer  MS  pagei.  ""1^  »«»  ^^.•*"**'** 

pimted  on  a  wporlor  QuaUty  of  maototae  tolihtd 

pap«.  durably  bound  In  BnglUh  cloth  wltto 

unlauo  dMl«na  in  two  oolort  of  Ink. 


I»rlo© 


^l.OO 


FREDERICK  J.  DRAKE  &  CO.,  Publish. ;« 

360-352  Wabaih  Aventic,  CHICAGO,  DLL. 


^j^.i!¥^j^:^.^^ 


h 


Hodgson's  Modem  Estimator 
and  Contractors*  ^-•^-' 


For  Pricing  Bulld«r»*  Work 


lUlf 


r.Sa.00 


Clfl«K.SL50 

SYNOPSIS  or  cui^  — 

P!yr«^U"ilTim Wt%thoU»  of  entlm. 


SYNOPSIS  OF  CONTENTS. 


introduction  to  ••"^tS^nTsuSTtlng-RSiiii..:^  of  iwm.  ^^^_ 
■imllar  *8"™*T,  iJXia  ofclrcle»-l*ngth«  of  «>1'=»»J*'  *frLw3S«  M»d 


.-^r;^ , 


1 


m 


NO.    lOO-A 


NICIIOLLS 


FRAMING   SQUAR 


This  cut  shows  a  portion  of 
the  back  of  body  of  our  New 
Square  No.  100- A.  This  square 
has  the  regular  Nicholls  Fram- 
ing Rule  for  Common  Roofs, 
on  the  face  of  the  body,  and 
the  Octagon  Roof  Framing 
Rule  on  the  back  of  the  body. 

This  Octagon.  Framing  Rule 
is  not  put  on  any  square  except  the  lOOA 
and  is  the  only  square  ever  manufactured 
which  gives  all  cuts  and  lengths  for  all 
kinds  of  roofs. 

A  Weldless  Square 

SEND    FOR    Cir.CULARS 


NICHOLLS  MFG.  CO. 

OTTUMWA,  IOWA 


^^^^'')l^^\'^:  >fiw;^tf?  'T.-.-'^^VT^^:^- .  .r'l'T^.' ;■: 


Fi««^  -if^Ti: 


jlpi^^i^Djrj-'tnrx^jr'-i^tt'^i^^-^^^^'i;^ 


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